A/N: Hey! First, I want to apologize for how long it's taken me to post this. It is, in fact, for a few reasons:
First, the day after I posted the last chapter, my computer died. My dad took it in to get fixed, and I didn't get it back for a week.
Then, as soon as I got it back (cruel as it is) my mum decided to ground me. Yeah, it sucked, a lot. That lasted about a week and a half.
As soon as I began writing this chapter, my mom found this apartment and decided that we should all move (yippee, great timing). So, for the past week or so, I've been working and packing and overall going crazy.
So, now that it is 9:15 on this lovely Tuesday evening, the 29th of July, I am sitting in my half-empty, barely furnished new bedroom on a lawn chair in the corner next to the window and a computer on my lap, attempting to finish this as soon as possible. Please forgive me, I hope you all haven't been pulling your hair out waiting for this chapter. And if you have, well, I hear Rogaine really does work. In fact, send me a letter and I'll reimburse you for the cost of it.
Anyway, here is the rest of my regularly scheduled author's note:
1) To whom it may concern (ahem: 'I I I'):
Dammit, you caught me!! Yes, after I posted chapter four, I realized my mistake in saying that 'hello' was a one-syllable word. I hoped against hope that no one would notice or mention it because I didn't want to go back and exchange the chapter just for one word; even if I had, the people reading it would have still seen the wrong one, as it takes about 24 hours for the chapters to actually switch. So, I left it. Sorry about that everyone, as you can imagine I was laughing like a loon when I realized how dumb I was. But oh well, we all make mistakes.
2) Sparkles!! No, my dear, I haven't been stalking you. Just sitting outside your bedroom window every night and watching you. That's not a problem, is it? Hehe. Anyway, I find it really amusing that someone else has shared my fate. You see, this story is basically the story of my life. Yes, it's sad but true. Okay, not my life, but you get what I mean. Odd, too, that you said this is what's been happening over the past five months, as it's been happening to me for…hmm, the past nine I think. Anyway, I thought you'd be delighted to know that everything (literally everything) that has happened so far is based on what's happened to me. I suppose you could say I'm writing this story in hopes that it will give me hope about that certain guy and me. So I think, dear Sparkles, that it is you who has been stalking me! No, just kidding. But I do feel your pain! And yes, I think this story will give you hope about that guy, cuz if what happens at the end of this story is anywhere close to what happens to you, then I think you'll be very pleased. That's all! (oh, and Sparkles, you are now my new best friend. Just thought I'd warn you.)
One more thing: if you all are STILL confused about the flashback/chapter breakdown, I'll write it for you here AGAIN. Just know that after this, you'll be on your own, I've already written this a couple times. Here it is:
Chapter One: NOT a flashback
Chapter Two: the first part and the last part are flashbacks, the middle is not.
Chapter Three: the first part
Chapters four and on: no flashbacks.
Okay? I hope that helps. If not, for your viewing convenience I have decided to repost chapters one through three, with markings indicating the beginning and ending of a flashback. I figure that should make things a bit easier for you guys, right? Right. Hope that helps!!
One more thing, really quick: I just put up a new story, it's called A Simple Kind of Life, and it's a post-Hogwarts story, so…if you guys are interested, check it out, I'd appreciate it a lot!!
Disclaimer: No! Je suis la jeune fille! Je ne suis pas l'auteur d'Harry Potter!
Heehaw, I parle francais!
Chapter Ten
Pop! Goes the Weasel
For the rest of the day, Hermione felt simply delightful. She sat in her hospital bed, watching students cruise across the campus nonchalantly, enjoying the last days of summer weather. At lunch, she was visited by Harry, who brought her a sandwich and the morning's Daily Prophet (as Ron had forgotten it earlier). Between lunch and dinner, she received visits from lots of people, like Neville (who brought her a freshly picked daisy from the grounds) and Lavender and Parvati (who by now respected Hermione enough to not rub in the news of Ron and Padma, which Hermione appreciated more than she could say). The day, as awful as it had started, was now turning out to be…not so bad, really. She had almost pushed all thoughts of Ron and Padma out of her head. Then, just as she was about to drift to sleep, she heard one more, unexpected knock on the door.
"Hermione?" came a quiet voice from the doorway.
"Hmm, come in," Hermione said, quickly opening her eyes before her visitor could notice she had been on the verge of sleep. She sat up and blinked her eyes harshly a few times. She gently patted her hair down, just in case, and looked up at the person towering feet above her head.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" came the voice of a precarious redhead.
"Oh, um…I'm fine, just fine," she said, ignoring that painful stinging in the pit of her stomach.
"That's good. I just came to check on you again. I'm glad you're feeling better, Madame Pomfrey says you'll be out tomorrow night!" he said, a bit of excitement shining through his voice. Hermione smiled, and just then she felt a pang of curiosity…gently, subtly, she looked down at her hands, then back into his face, eagerly.
"Yeah…so, Ron, what's new? Have I missed anything? It's a bit frustrating, you know, being stuck in this bed all day and night long while tons of interesting things are going on outside these walls," she said, looking out onto the grounds and hoping she didn't seem to know anything she shouldn't have. Ron's eyes followed her gaze, and as they did, they fell upon that spot. The place where he had been with Padma only a few nights before. The place where, looking back now, it felt as though he had signed away his whole future.
He looked back at Hermione with a smile.
"I know how you feel. But no, nothing new is going on, not that I know of anyway. You might ask Harry, maybe he has some news or something, I'm not sure. There's nothing new that I know of though," he said, not meeting her eyes. He was finding it very strange, sitting there and lying to Hermione and feeling guilty about it. It's not like she knows, why do I feel guilty? He thought.
Hermione looked at him as she struggled to contain her anger. I could understand if he was getting around to telling me, but how can he stand right in front of me and deny it? She could feel her fingers twisting and cringing in her lap.
"Are you sure? Nothing you want to tell me?" she asked again, hoping he would admit to it.
"Uh, nope. Nothing." Hermione sighed heavily and looked up at him, pausing for effect.
"How can you say that, Ron, when just a few nights ago you started going out with Padma?" she breathed, glaring daggers at him.
Ron stared at her, very much taken aback. He wasn't sure what he was thinking; so much was running through his head. He couldn't exactly think of what to say, but it didn't seem to matter much as Hermione spoke for him.
"You have no idea how this feels, and I can't figure out why you felt like you couldn't tell me, I mean it's a big thing, and you couldn't even let me know! If it wasn't for Ginny, I'd still be sitting here clueless and thinking nothing was happening! You're my best friend, Ron, and best friends tell each other things! But no, you just decided we weren't close enough for you to let me in on the important things going on in your life. But that's fine, really, that's fine. I guess I just don't mean enough to you for you to tell me things-"
"Excuse me just a bloody minute, but I didn't see you rushing to tell me about your bloody letters to my bloody brother!" Ron shouted suddenly, causing Hermione to jump. His face was as red as red could be, and his hands were roaming wildly in midair. Hermione looked at him, half afraid and half appalled.
"Excuse me? Like that's any of your business in the first place!" she yelled, regretting it almost instantly.
"Not any of my business? First of all, it's as much my business as my relationship with Padma is yours! Secondly, you're my best friend and he's my brother, so it's my business either way! But no, apparently not, right? It's amazing how much crap you're talking when you went and did the same exact thing! Guess I could start calling you Hypocritical Hermione, eh? I mean, you go behind my back and write all these letters to my brother, without me knowing, acting like nothing's going on, and then when I find them you don't even say anything, you try and act like they're Arithmancy notes? Gods, I guess I don't mean that much to you if you can't even tell me about some bloody letters," he said, and he ran his hand through his fiery hair. Hermione sat still, watching him and breathing shallowly.
"Ron, nothing was in those letters. No conspiracies, no inside information. I mean it's not like we were planning anything or telling each other our deepest secrets! We were just being nice to each other, talking to each other. I wouldn't expect you to know this, but sometimes it's really nice having someone mature to talk to," she said coldly, avoiding the glare Ron gave her in return.
"Oh, so you go and call me your best friend, only to tell me two minutes later that I'm not mature enough? Geez, Hypocritical Hermione really does suit you then, doesn't it? Well, I'm so, so incredibly sorry that I'm not good enough or mature enough to talk to, I guess I should just hand you some parchment so you can write to your new best pal, right? I'm sure he'd love to hear about this. I know what you wrote in those letters Hermione, I read them! So don't tell me about how there's nothing in them…it's nice to know what high regards you two hold me in. Glad to know my best friend and my brother speak so kindly of me. Next time, I suggest you put up a better argument, or at least not contradict yourself, it doesn't make you look too bright."
Hermione, whose arms were already aggressively crossed across her chest, raised her hand in the air angrily. But before she could speak, she saw Ron turn away and walk through the doorway, not bothering to look back. She re-crossed her arm and snarled to nobody in particular.
"Oh, I could kill him, I could really kill him," she said, letting a stray tear drift down her cheek. She rubbed her eyes defiantly, as though daring another tear to show itself, and sank under the covers of her bed, pulling them over her head.
Down the hall, Ron's hands had been shoved violently into his pockets. Damn, why did this happen? he asked himself as he descended the stairs. He was no mood to sleep, or to be questioned by his sister or The Boy Who Would Ask, so he decided to visit the kitchens for a nighttime snack. As he reached the bottommost stair, he nearly barked at the sound of the voice he wanted to hear the least…
"Ronnie! There you are, where've you been? I was wondering earlier, but I figured you just had quidditch practice or something…are you alright?" asked Padma, as her friend Sarah looked on inquisitively.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a bit…discombobulated at the moment. I was just getting myself a snack, haven't eaten in a while," he said. Yeah, if by 'a while' you mean an hour ago… he thought. Padma frowned sympathetically, while Sarah looked at her confused. Discombobulated? Who says that?
"Oh, that's nice. Well, do you want us to come with you, keep you company?" she asked sweetly.
"Um, sure, why not," he said, and he began walking again, with Sarah and Padma in tow. Just as he removed a hand from inside his pocket to scratch an itch on his other elbow he felt something large, but soft, slip in between his fingers. Looking down, he saw it was a hand. Well, that's interesting… he thought, and with a small shrug, he tightened the grip on her hand and closed his fingers over the back of her hand. Sarah looked down in near disgust. If anyone should be holding his hand, it's me…
Ten minutes later, the three arrived at the portrait of the bowl of fruit. Ron tickled the pear lightly and, after hearing it giggle, grasped the handle and allowed the door to swing out. He heard Padma gasp as they were greeted with what looked to the girls like 100 house elves. Ron looked down and noticed a particular elf waving his hand frantically.
"Why, it's Harry's Wheezy! How is you, Wheezy? So nice of you to come and visit us!" he said, tugging on Ron's pocket and leading them to a table. "What can Dobby get for you?"
"Hi, Dobby. I'm fine thanks, and how are you?"
"Oh, Dobby is wonderful, sir, just wonderful. Dobby is glad that you are doing well," he added, bowing happily. But just as he was smiling up at Ron, his eyes fell upon a seemingly disturbing sight.
"So Master Wheezy, what can Dobby get for you?" he asked, trying to ignore the set of held hands in front of his face.
"Oh, would you mind getting me a couple of sandwiches? I think that'll be it," Ron answered, looking around at the other elves.
"Of course, Dobby will be right back." Dobby and five other elves took off and quickly returned carrying a platter of sandwiches, making Ron chuckle.
"Thanks Dobby, that's wonderful. Thanks loads, this'll last me all night," he joked. Dobby smiled. But it seemed that the issue at hand was getting the better of him.
"Master Wheezy, where's Hermione? Why is she not with you?" Dobby asked, and Ron could have sworn, if only for a brief moment, that Dobby had thrown Padma a dirty look, but Ron put it out of his mind quickly.
"Er, well, Mione's still in the hospital wing-" he started.
"-Right, I almost forgot, she gets to leave tomorrow! Well, Dobby thinks that tomorrow night Master Wheezy should celebrate for Hermione, since she's been gone for so very long! We'll make a cake! And if Dobby is correct sir, is it not Hermione's birthday soon?" he asked with a gigantic grin. That's when it hit Ron: Hermione's birthday was in only a few days.
"Um, that would be, uh, great, Dobby, just great, why don't you uh, do that," he said uneasily. It wasn't as if they were exactly…friends, at the moment.
"Dobby is so excited! Never has Dobby been so honored, to help celebrate the birthday of Harry Potter and his Wheezy's best friend's birthday!!" And with that, he threw himself at Ron's legs and squeezed them tightly. Padma, reacting to all of this for the first time, let out a small giggle. Sarah looked on in awe.
"Thanks Dobby, I'm sure she'll love it. Well, we should be going now, thank you Dobby, I'll come back and see you soon!" Ron said, and he waved goodbye. Padma and Sarah waved goodbye as well, and they exited the portrait hole.
They had been walking for only a few moments when suddenly Padma decided to squeal in Ron's ear.
"Ronnie, they were all so cute! And that one that was talking to you, Donald? Oh, right, Dobby. He was the most adorable thing I have ever seen! The way he admired you, it was just so sweet!" she said, squeezing his hand. Ron smiled, thinking about how right she was. It really was sweet, wasn't it?
"I can only hope that when I have a house, all of my house elves are as adorable as he was!"
Ron couldn't help what Hermione would say to that; it certainly made his stomach curl.
The next morning, Hermione sat up in bed and stretched her arms. Looking out the window, she saw that it must have been at least nine in the morning; the Gryffindor quidditch team was out on the grounds practicing. She got out of bed to stretch a little better and walked over to the window.
Hmm, seems like a nice day…though it's a bit stuffy. I'll just open this up a litt—AHHH!
"AHHHHHH!!!" screamed Hermione, as she flew backwards so far she flipped over her bed.
Floating in the window was a large, vicious-looking owl hovering in front of the window, a large scroll tied to its leg. Hermione got to her feet, cautiously peered over the edge of the bed, and let out a yelp. It was the ugliest, scariest owl she had ever seen in her life. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, shook herself off, and walked back over to the window. She slowly flipped the lock and pulled the window open, and the bird flew in and landed on her bed.
"Okay, um…I'll just take that, will I?" she said, scrunching up her face as she untied the letter. The owl looked at her maliciously, then flew off as soon as she removed the scroll. Hermione sat back down on the bed and began to read the letter.
Ironically, thought Hermione, it was from George, just to ask her about the next Hogsmeade date and to update her on the status of the shop ("We're doing so well, we see the same kids come in like three times in the same day!") He had also commented on the owl, which turned out to be a new acquisition. Fred had purchased it, knowing it was the ugliest, oddest owl around and had intended to use it to scare their letter-receivers; Hermione had been somewhat of a test-run. She rolled up the letter, a smile on her face, and slipped it into her bag. With a sigh, she looked down again at the grounds and noticed Ron and Harry on their brooms. She sunk into her bed and crossed her arms instinctively; she couldn't help but realize the irony in the whole situation: she had to pick a fight with him just before being released from the hospital wing, and why had she been there? The same thing she was dealing with now, because of said fight: stress. She pulled the bag from under her bed and pulled out the letters she had received from George, observing them with a bit of annoyance. Were they really worth all this fuss? Sure, they were just letters, and Ron may have overreacted just a little bit, if any, but knowing how Ron felt now, would she have not written to George, to avoid all this? She was pondering this as a door opened and a pair of feet shuffled in busily.
"Miss Granger?" came a voice from the corner.
"Hmm, I mean yes?" she responded, pivoting around to face her inquisitor.
"I believe you a free to go now, if you like," said Madame Pomfrey, stepping out of the shadows and over to Hermione's bed. Hermione sighed, pleased.
"Oh, thank you Madame Pomfrey, thank you so much. And thank you for taking such good care of me, I appreciate it very much," she said, hurriedly stuffing her belongings into her bag and swinging it over her shoulder.
"Now, Miss Granger, I don't want to have to keep you in here like this again, I want you to promise me that you'll take better care of yourself and not let yourself get so stressed out next time, all right?"
"Yes, Madame Pomfrey, I promise." She smiled gratefully and walked through the doorway, more excited than excited to be finally leaving. She headed down the stairs, receiving greetings from those passing by, and sidled into the library, taking her regular seat at the second table by the window.
At nine that night, Ron was sitting in a chaise, with Harry and Ginny in chairs nearby, when Hermione entered the common room, having finished her Head Girl duties early. She spotted Ron immediately and was sneaking her way up the stairs to her dorm when she heard her name. Cringing, she turned back around and grinned.
"Yes, Ginny?" she asked sweetly.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, you know, upstairs…I-I'll be back though!" she added, though the thought saddened her. She was barely in any mood to be hanging around Ron, especially since now they weren't exactly on speaking terms. As she snuck up the last step, Ron swung his head around, hoping (seemingly against the odds, in his eyes) that he wouldn't see her, though he was hard-pressed to admit that he was a bit disappointed when he didn't. He turned back around to find Harry watching him inquisitively.
"Did something…happen today, Ron?" he asked.
"Happen? Like what?" he answered bitterly. Why was he having so much trouble being honest lately?
"Oh, like you and Herm having a falling out, something like that maybe?"
"Huh. Well, alright, so Mione and I got in a fight last night, big deal. It's not like it's the first time that's happened or anything. We'll be fine in a few days," he said, waving his hand dismissively. Harry looked over at Ginny, who in turn shrugged. The two left the subject alone, returning to their respective weekend homework assignments, but Ron couldn't help but wonder why it was he doubted his own works…
Hermione was at the top of the stairs, and had been about to place her foot on the first step down, when she had heard what Ron had said. "Fine in a few days?" she whispered. If he thought she was going to forgive him that simply, he had another thing coming. She spun around and wasn't a bit cautious to stop the door from slamming behind her.
Ginny flinched at the sound upstairs and frowned. This was going to be a very interesting next few days…
