CHAPTER 3

A week later, Ron was walking up the stairs to take a shower after a long day of degnoming the garden. Now that the twins aren't home anymore, Ron had to do the entire garden by himself. The shower in the bathroom was on. He knocked on the door to hurry who ever was in the bathroom along. You would think there would be more than two showers in the house with so many people living in it. Ron knocked harder, starting to lose his temper.

"Oy! Who's in there? Hurry it up, will you?"

No one answered. So, Ron dared to open the door and no one was in the bathroom. Someone left the shower on. The room was getting fogged up from the hot water. Ron started to take his clothes off. "There's no use in wasting perfectly good hot water," Ron said to himself.

He stepped into the shower and felt better with the warm water washing the sweat off of his body.

Ron was too occupied in enjoying his shower to hear someone entering the bathroom. However, he did hear someone pull the shower curtain aside. He quickly spun around and saw a half naked Hermione. Both were too shocked to scream. Hermione quickly picked up her bathrobe and walked out of the bathroom without a single word or another look.

Ron couldn't believe he just saw Hermione half naked. She was wearing nothing but her under garments. Then, Ron looked down and realized he was completely naked. He might have seen Hermione half naked, but Hermione has seen Ron completely naked. He was so embarrassed he quickly finished his shower and ran up to his room. He locked himself in so he wouldn't run into Hermione.

Dinner, that night, was interesting. Fred and George stopped by for dinner, bringing home some of their new products for Ginny. Hermione and Ron completely avoided each other's eyes. However, the sitting arrangement still ended with them sitting across the table from each other anyway. So, it was a bit difficult not to see each other.

"Um, Hermione, could you pass the potatoes?" asked Ron in a small voice.

Hermione picked up the bowl without looking at him and handed it to him, but when he grabbed the bowl, their hands brushed against each other briefly. They both blushed and Ron took the bowl from her almost as fast as Hermione has let go of the bowl.

Their behaviors didn't seem to go unnoticed by Ginny.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked after noticing the exchange. But she didn't wait for an answer. Instead, Ginny turned and tried to get into the conversation with the twins, who were discussing their new product, Parting Pills.

"So, what exactly does it do?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Take the pill, and you grow a new limb," Fred said, his mouth full of potatoes.

"But each pill is a different body part," George took over for Fred. "One pill gives you an extra eye, one gives you an extra arm, or one gives you an extra toe. I think you get it."

"But why would anyone want that," Mrs. Weasley said, who looks like she can'tfinish her dinner now. "I don't understand how you children see that as amusing."

"Eventually, it goes away," Fred said. "It's not like you have a third eye forever."

"Well, I think it's brilliant," Ginny said, beaming at her brothers.

"Thank you, Ginny," George said. "And because you said that, we're going to make you an honorary member of our Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. You get to test out all of our new products. We'll start when you go back to school."

"Wait a minute," Hermione said, catching up. "Are you implying that you're going to give Ginny your products so you can test them on more Hogwarts's students? Because Ron and I aren't going to allow that. We're still prefects."

Ron knew this would only mean trouble. Last year, when Fred and George were doing their "research," Hermione went off on them. She even dragged Ron into it. Ron didn't have the courage to really face up to his older brothers. He knew if he did try, they wouldget themickey taken out of him. Ron knew it would only be time before Hermione drag Ron into this argument.

"Well, Ron," Hermione said, intentionally staring at the twins and not at Ron.

"Well, Hermione's right," Mrs. Weasley said, when Ron didn't answer right away. "Fred, George, if I get word that you have sent Ginny items to test on the students, you both will receive howlers from me!"

This seems to be enough for Hermione to be satisfied because she returned to her dinner.

After dinner, the twins went back to the shop to set up for the introduction of their new product. Ginny and Hermione helped Mrs. Weasley clean up, even if Ginny was a bit mad at Hermione for ruining her chance of getting Fred's and George's new products before they went out on the market. Mr. Weasley went out to his shed to work on a new "project." Ron went to his room, trying to get the image of Hermione's naked body out of his mind.

Half an hour later, Hermione came and knocked on Ron's door.

"Um, Ron," Hermione started off shyly. "About what happened earlier today."

"I didn't see anything." Ron cut her off. He didn't want a long detailed conversation with Hermione about the incident in the bathroom.

"Why did you jump in the shower?" Hermione asked. "I left the shower for five seconds and you took it."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Ron asked a bit annoyed.

"Well, obviously, the water didn't turn on by itself. Someone was going take a shower," Hermione said back, just as annoyed.

"I just came in the house from degnoming the garden and I was filthy. Did you think I was just going to wait around while a shower was already turned on just waiting for someone to jump into it?"

Ron knew what he did was wrong. He should have known someone wanted to take a shower and must have left really quickly. But, he wasn't about to let Hermione win the argument. Hermione could be stubborn, but he can be just as stubborn.

"There are other showers in the house, Ron!" Hermione yelled.

This argument was now being completely thrown out of proportion. This incident, which should have been something embarrassing, is turning into the worst row the two of them had since they promised a temporary peace for Harry's sake last year.

"You know what?" said Ron darkly. He opened his mouth to say more, but he remembered what he was arguing about and decided to say no more. He turned to go to his room and was thankful that Hermione didn't say any moreto him when he left.

He flopped on his bed, which Ron continues to neatly fold. Even Mrs. Weasley was impressed when she dropped off Ron's laundry one day. He stared at the ceilings which was enchanted to show previous Chudley Cannons' games. Somehow, watching the game was able to calm him down. And before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.