Title: Septuplets
Author: purplemud
Rating: PG
Category: H/Hr and R/Lu
Sub: A bit of angst, fluff and humor
Author's note: Er, the usually weird fics that I'd always come up with. A real nightmare fic that is: (1) Un beta-ed, (2) No clear plot, (3) Weird time line, (4) Even weirder characterization and lastly, (5) A very silly ending.
Thank you to those who have read the first chapter. I'm very much glad that you enjoyed reading the first part. As promised, here now is Chapter 2.
Chapter 2
The List
Ginny knows about Harry and Hermione too. In fact she had been the first one who noticed it.
My little sister is full of surprises, some of which are amusing although most would someday be the death of me. Like briefly dating Seamus, locking Filch inside a broom closet and joining that bloody awful Reddest Hair contest in Teen Witch Weekly but I guess the most memorable was when she dragged me inside an empty broom closet to announce that Harry is in love with Hermione.
I didn't even believe her at first. I mean, I was sort of expecting that Hermione would fancy me.
She actually snorted at that and with a flick of her wrist, unrolled this long parchment where she had listed all the little things that she noticed that I somehow missed seeing. It was, by far, one of the longest conversations we ever had:
"One" she started all hoity-toitily. "Lingering glances."
"There had been no lingering glances." I muttered darkly.
She conveniently ignored me and continued on, "Two: the way they seemed to always be thinking of the same thing, always able to finish each other sentences."
"Fred and George do that all the time. Doesn't mean they're dating! Doesn't mean they're in love with each other and that on some occasion when inside their room they have sudden urges to snog each other." I paused, realizing what I had just said. "Euck."
Ginny threw me a withering look, enough to shut me up about Fred and George. "Three: the way Harry would stand proudly beside Hermione, goofy grin and all." She looked at me, daring me to say something about it, something to counter her. I sniffed and crossed my arms against my chest, for lack of anything to say.
"Four: the way he always seeks Hermione out before zooming up into the air and looking for the snitch."
I had to roll my eyes at that. "He does not."
"Five: every time that Harry catches the snitch the first smile would be reserved for Hermione."
"You are still bloody obsessed with Harry. That is your problem." I sneered.
The comment went right over and through her. "Six: their knees always touch when seating together and they always sit together, Ron. If not together, then across each other and their knees would still touch."
"Been crawling underneath the tables, have we?" I snickered.
Ginny was on a roll, even out right mockery wasn't stopping her. "Seven: the way Harry's eyes would darken every time Malfoy glances at Hermione. Eight: the way Hermione's smile would fade every time Cho Chang would pass by."
By the time she reached number nine, I had my hands clamped on my ears and was loudly reciting names of Quidditch teams all over the world.
It was an endless list actually, let me tell you that. Longer probably than Hermione's essay on Hogwarts: A History, that by the time she was finished my throat was parched dry.
"And for your information," Ginny said haughtily when it was apparent that I had ran out of quidditch teams. "The Berlin Banshees is not a quidditch team! It's a boy band!"
"I don't fucking care!" I told her. I snootily added as well that she was reading way too many romance novels and articles on dating.
I was convinced that she was delusional, plain and simple. But she insisted that everything in her list was all true, thank you very much, and that I needed to get my eyes checked.
More importantly, I should be quite bothered that I have never asked neither Harry nor Hermione about this when apparently the whole school was already speculating on when the wedding would take place.
Wedding? I screamed bloody hell right there and then and walked out. I was livid. I have to admit that I was more disappointed than jealous.
I thought it was bloody unfair that aside from being the hero, Harry gets to walk away with the girl. Not just any girl, but our Hermione! And where would that leave me? They'd be this couple, this one unit and I'd be what? The chaperone? The third wheel? Once again, I'm pushed back and kicked out of the picture.
And it wasn't just about Harry getting the girl, it was because of the small details that I didn't see, the pieces of evidence that Ginny had painstakingly wrote down... I was angry because I had been deceiving myself all those times. I had believed that it was me who Hermione liked.
The more I thought about The List, the angrier I become.
Ginny, who I thought would be as angry as I was, who I expected to feel betrayed as well, actually defended Harry and Hermione. She said she had realized ages ago that Harry only saw her as a sister - someone that he'd protect and love and maybe even die for, but he won't live for her. He won't live because of her.
Personally, I think that even when she told Hermione that she had given up on Harry, she still harbored that small wish, that small hope that he'd someday see her as worthy of his love. Well evidently, he didn't and I thought it was awfully shitty of him to go falling in love with Hermione just because Cho wasn't interested in him anymore.
And besides, why did it have to be Hermione? Why can't it be Ginny, my lovely sister who had always been in-like with him all along? The bloody git wants to get all the nice girls just because he's the Hero who always fucking bleeds. Well, not this time!
Needless to say, I got really pissed off.
I admit now that I over reacted. But that day, all I could hear inside my head were: Traitors! Cheaters! Back Stabbers!
I decided to confront them with this. Ask them what the heck was The List all about. I hadn't meant to be hurtful but unfortunately for me, I found Hermione first and seeing her just brought out all the insecurities that I had been trying to suppress. Once again, I was second string, over looked, not good enough...
I told her a lot of awful things. Accusations that weren't even true.
Inside my mind, all I could see was Ginny's list and how Hermione never, even for once, looked at me the way she looked at Harry. Was I too poor? Was my hair too red? Was it because I can't bloody catch a Snitch? Was it because I'm not an orphan boy who doesn't have a sob story to tell and...
Well, she slapped me even before I could say more.
She stood there, tears streaming down her face and although I was still mad, I felt this bloody awful weight pressing against my chest. It was guilt. I know what it was. But before I could even try to apologize, she had already run off. I was too disheartened to follow her and too stubborn to say sorry. After all, it was them who would eventually leave me behind. Before they can even do that, I'll be the one who'll leave them behind.
Harry found me later inside our room. He went straight to the point, asked me what I told Hermione. I couldn't tell him of course. He asked for an explanation. I couldn't give one. Didn't know what to say. He stood in front of me, looking almost lost and tired and although his voice had been hard and cold when he told me that if I ever make Hermione cry like that again, he'd punch my nose, no questions asked, I knew that he's afraid of what was happening between the three of us. I was too. But I was more hurt and angry at that time that I just didn't care.
I told him to leave me alone. And leave Hermione alone as well. It was the time of the year when people are killed just because of knowing him.
It was low, I know. But at that moment, I just wanted to hurt Harry and Hermione.
He stared at me for the longest time and walked out.
That started The Cold War.
-End Chapter 2
Notes: Well, I hope that was an ok chapter. Let me know what you guys think. Comments, suggestions and constructive criticism are all welcomed. Many thanks!
And now, a sneak peak to Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The Cold War
I didn't talk to them for a whole month. He never did left Hemione's side and I remember thinking to myself what a selfish bastard he was. I never did realize how hard it was for him to be with Hermione after what I told him. I didn't quite care if they were both suffering, as far as I was concerned, it served them right. I had other friends. Friends who won't take me for granted and won't brush me off.