Author Note: Okay, this is a drabble that I was inspired to write after a thread I had been reading over at the Portkey, a popular Harry/Hermione hangout for those of us shippers who are tired of being ripped apart simply because we do not follow the popular opinion among the younger shippers. huffs Anyway, I won't get into that. I decided to write the scene of the argument between Ron and Hermione after the Yule Ball, only this is before Harry enters the common room. Interesting, yes? The talized text at the endis written verbatim from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 1st United States Hardback Edition.
The Yule Brawl
Ron entered the common room, still angry and seething over the night's events. Hermione was sitting in one of the armchairs in front of the fire, glaring into its warm glow. As soon as Ron came stalking into the common room, Hermione jumped up off the chair and said,
"What right do you have, making claims like that about Viktor? You don't know him personally!" Ron angrily punched the arm of a nearby sofa before responding with a snarl,
"I don't have to know him personally to know that he's looking for inside information on how to complete the tournament! He's from Durmstrang, and in case you forgot, Malfoy had plenty of nice things to say about it!" Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she stalked closer to bring her face next to Ron's.
"How dare you! You are such a HYPOCRITE!" She was shaking with uncontrollable rage as she glared at Ron, who was lost as to what Hermione was speaking about.
"What do you mean, I'm a hypocrite? I'm not getting friendly with a potential Death Eater!" Hermione gasped in shock and slapped Ron firmly on the cheek with a resounding CRACK! He stumbled back in disbelief and then shouted,
"What the BLOODY HELL was that for?" Hermione's neat hair was starting to get messy as she struggled to contain her anger and her face was quickly turning red. She balled up her fists and through clenched teeth said,
"You want to know why you're such a hypocrite? The idea of a guy finding me attractive; that being so inconceivable to you isn't what bothers me the most." She was shaking once again, and her voice was continually becoming louder as she spoke.
"It's okay for you to follow Fleur Delacour around like a lost puppy, admiring her and even asking her to the ball, but I can't spend time with Viktor? What about Fleur? Isn't she Harry's ENEMY too?" She was positively rolling now.
"She's competing in the tournament against Harry as well. You can fraternize and even want the enemy, but I CAN'T? Do you know what a double standard is Ron, or is that to complex for your tiny teenage boy mind?"
Ron's mouth opened in shock; he was at a loss as to what to say to that. He registered the fact that she'd called his brain tiny, though, and retorted,
"I don't like it, that's not the same thing! Fleur isn't from Durmstrang and you know it!" Ron was turning red as well, wishing with all his might that he could punch something, and Hermione was driving him to the brink of something he'd never done before; hit a girl.
Fortunately for Ron, Harry chose that moment to come into the common room. Seeing the two of them going at it, he froze, watching them with wide eyes.
"Well if you don't like it, you know what the solution is don't you?" yelled Hermione; her hair was coming down out of its elegant bun now, and her face was screwed up in anger.
"Oh yeah," Ron yelled back. "What's that?"
"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!" Ron mouthed soundlessly like a goldfish out of water as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up the girls' staircase to bed. Ron turned to look at Harry.
"Well," he sputtered, looking thunderstruck, "well – that just proves – completely missed the point – "
Harry didn't say anything. He liked being back on speaking terms with Ron too much to speak his mind right now – but he somehow thought that Hermione had gotten the point much better than Ron had.