Disclaimer: Everything belongs to my idol, J.K. Rowling.
MEASLES
Chapter 4: A Little Less Conversation
Ron took a deep breath before he entered Hermione's room. Holding his breath, he stepped inside cautiously, and closed the door behind him quietly. The room was dark; he had to blank his eyes. Then his eyes adapted to the dark, he saw the full moon had illuminated the room visibly. 'That is better' he thought, grinnig to himself. Even by the dim light of the moon, he could see Hermione's sleeping body in the bed. He approached the edge of the bed hesitantly. He began studying her face. She was sleeping peacefully or Ron imagined so.
"RON!" Hermione shrieked out of the blue. Ron jerked with her sudden sleepy voice.
"Shhh, Hermione, don't shout!" he said at once, in panic.
"What happened?" asked Hermione anxiously, sitting up, and throwing back her covers.
"Nothing!" said Ron soothingly.
"Then why are you here? Did something happen? Oh my god!" she squealed and clutched at her heart.
"No, Hermione. Relax! I will explain!" he said, pushing her back on to the bed instinctively.
"Where is Ginny?" she asked in a scandalized tone, as she sent a quick glance at Ginny's empty bed.
"She is in my room!"
"Voluntary?" asked Hermione bewildered.
"No, I charmed her and locked in my room!" Ron replied her sarcastically.
"What?" she gasped, her eyes widened.
"Hermione, don't be silly!"
"Then why are you here, and why is Ginny in your room?" she enquired, staring at him suspiciously.
"Um… uh… I came here to see you. I worried a lot Hermione!" explained Ron awkwardly. Hermione relieved to his explanation and gave a sigh of relief.
"Ron you prat!" she shook her head, smiling slightly. "Why do you worry about me? Its just measles, I mean. I won't die or something…" she said, before sinking back to her bed again.
"Ok, I lied. I have to tell you something important!" confessed Ron.
"Can't it wait until- "
"No." Ron cut in determinedly. "Why do you ask so many questions, Hermione? Can you loosen up, please?"
"Ron, if your mother catches us-"
"We don't do something!" he said at once, feeling suddenly warm around the ears and neck for some reason. "She can't hear us its muffliato. Besides, Ginny is spying!"
"Ginny is spying?" Hermione repeated, stunned. "How did you manage?" she asked incredulously, as she placed a pillow behind her back and leaned againts it.
"Bribe," Ron shrugged. Hermione clicked her tongue disapprovingly however a shadow of a smile haunted her lips.
"What if it infects you?" she asked suddenly remembering her illness.
"It won't. I took a potion!" Ron stated straight away, grinning broadly.
"Potion? Where did you find it?" asked Hermione, sounding confused.
"Twins. Thanks to my genious brothers. I told them that I had to talk to you. They brought me a protective potion! I will be uneffected for an hour," explained Ron briefly. Hermione didn't seem convinced about it however shrugged.
"Okay what's so important then?" she asked looking curious.
"What important?"
"Ron." She howled with exasperation. "You drive me crazy. Didn't you say just a minute ago, you would like to talk me about something important?"
"Oh, yeah. I did," Ron nodded in agreement. He had momentarily forgetten why he was there in the first place.
"So?" asked Hermione impatiently. "Is it about Harry?"
"Blimey Hermione!" exploded Ron. "Can't we talk about something but Harry?" he asked fiercely, running a hand wearily through his hair.
"Ron why are you fuming? Obviously I worry about him," said Hermione, looking taken aback at his reaction.
"So do I." Ron approved. "But he is ok, all right? Hermione if you won't quit nagging, I am going!" he said resentfully and headed to the door, turning on his heels.
"Hey, where are you going?" exclaimed Hermione apologetically. "Why are you angry?" she asked, playing hurt. Ron stopped at the halfway and turned to face her, frowning.
"I wasn't angry until I came here!"
"Do you mean I make you angry?" said Hermione reproachful. Ron shook his head in disbelief.
"No, Hermione, NO." he cried, throwing his hands up into the air with frustration.
"Why are you so quarrelsome?"
"Who? Me?"
"No, me!" Hermione snapped back sarcastically.
They glared each other silently for several minutes. The clock ticked in the silence, it was Hermione who broke the silence.
"Can you hand me some water?" she demanded with a sheepish voice. Ron looked round and saw the pitcher on the desk. He filled a glass and handed it to her, trying to be patient. He started to pace in the room. Hermione started sipping it gradually on purpose, gazing Ron out of the corner of her eyes in the meantime.
"Forty eight!" Ron blurted out suddenly as he checked his wristwatch. Hermione looked up, blinking.
"What?"
"We have forty eight minutes left and we haven't have a proper conversation yet!"
"Is it my fault?" asked Hermione stunned. "I mean you appeared in the middle of the night in my room and don't you expect me to ask that's why?" Ron forced himself not to roll his eyes.
"Hermione I hope it's temporary, I mean your obstinacy, I hope it's about the illness!"
"I am not peevish!" she said crossly, folding her arms under her chest.
"Forty two!"
"Ok, start! What do you want to talk about?"
"We can talk about stuff." Ron said as he approached the bed hesitantly.
"Talk about what?" Hermione enquired stubbornly.
"You know," started Ron as he sat edge of her bed cautiously. "What are we going to do, about future, about us, I mean you and me, and Harry…" he added quickly. No Harry, No Harry you idiot!" said the inner voice inside him. " We can't talk about him while he is around, can we?"
"Actually Ron," started Hermione, becoming suddenly serious. "Yes, I have been thinking about us, I mean what are we going to do after the wedding, but believe me I don't know, just we will go and that's it!"
"Do you think it is going to be difficult?"
"Well. It will be tricky I know that. We will help Harry somewhat, however at the end, he would have to face him all alone." She remarked reasonably.
"Yeah, I know…" Ron agreed. "Ginny is really upset. But she doesn't show her heartbreak. She accepted it maturely!" he continued, redirecting the conversation.
"Yeah… I am sure she has still a hope inside her."
"I believe so. And Harry has done the right thing. I can understand him. I mean, I mean if I were him, I wouldn't leave my…. Um… uh… my love behind… if I had any…" he said awkwardly as he started to tuck the cover around her, unable to look at her.
"Oh, wouldn't you?" asked Hermione mockingly. Ron's head snapped in surprise.
"Do you have doubts?" he challenged.
"No, just…" They exchanged an arch look.
"It seems Harry has partial options, so does Ginny. What about you?" asked Ron after a moment, trying not to show his eagerness to change the subject.
"What does it mean?"
"It means what about your plans, inludes whom?"
"Will you form my pillow, please," demanded Hermione abruptly, ignoring his question. Ron moved closer and formed the pillow rudely muttering something incoherently, which made Hermione suppress a gigle.
Thirty-five…"So?" Ron hastened to ask before she could postpone again.
"So what?" asked Hermione, looking clueless.
"Question!" he pointed out.
"Who wants to be with me, then be with me!" she said shrugging. That was a political answer Ron thought.
"What are you grinning at?" Hermione asked abruptly.
"Nothing…"
"You're laughing at my spots, aren't you?"
"No, Hermione! I can't even see them in the dark! Can we just talk about us, please?"
"Why is so?" she looked at him questioningly.
"Because we couldn't talk a lot this year, I thought we might have missed something." He explained his voice cracking slightly.
"Was it my fault that we couldn't talk?" she quarrelled, arching an eyebrow at him.
"No, it wasn't," interjected Ron quickly. "Was it mine?" he asked in particular, fixing his gazes on her. Hermione didn't answer for a while. She avoided her eyes.
"Was it mine, I asked!" he said persistently.
"Yes it was!" Hermione said hotly, shifting restlessly in her bed.
"Why is that?" he prompted.
"I feel dizzy. My fever is hot again, I had better get go back sleeping!" she ignored the question again, pretending feeling suddenly ill. However Ron didn't buy that.
"HERMİONE!" he started to lose his patience.
"WHAT?" she snapped. "I said it was your fault, and that's it. You're not that thick."
"Ok, I know. You were angry because… because I dated Lavender but I don't think dating is a fault, is it?"
"Whatever you say," said Hermione with a touch of sadness behind her words.
"No, don't try to drop the subject, I asked why you were angry?" Ron insisted.
"Honestly Ron, do you expect to get an answer from me?"
"Why not?"
"Because when Victor was around me, you didn't tell me a proper excuse about your stupid behaviour, and plus, I wasn't dating with him!"
"Krum again?" asked Ron in disbelief, raising his voice. "I had my reasons!" he said getting up to his feet quickly.
"So I had!" Hermione snapped without missing a beat. Ron huffed with annoyance.
"If I said I hated dating Lavender, what would you say?" he blurted out in a totally different voice after several minutes.
"Oh, really?" Hermione asked in a mock surprise. "You weren't complaining!"
"How do you know that?" he scowled. "How can you judge me? I had a reason, it's childish so I can't tell you."
"If you can't tell, don't expect me to tell you something!" Hermione retorted, her temper rising. Ron simply glared. Silence fell between them.
"Can you open the window? It's boiling here!" demanded Hermione calmly after a moment.
Ron moved towards window and cracked open it to let some air in. He stared out of the window for a while leaning againts the wall. They were quiet for a long moment. Seeing that it was impossible to take a nice phrase from Hermione's mouth Ron almost decided to give up talking. Once Hermione flashed an adorable smile, he quickly changed his mind.
Twenty-one…
"All was for nothing!" he said slowly, as he sat back on the edge of her bed, this time closer. Hermione looked up at him sympathetically.
"When did you realise it?"
"When I opened my eyes in hospital wing, I realised, I mean if I had died, we would be resented forever, it was horrible, then I realised it was stupid, really stupid!"
"I know! I thought the same things," she admitted sincerely.
"And now, I have been thinking of this. If something happens to me while we're after horcruxues-"
"Ron, don't say things like that" she interrupted immediately.
"Don't interrupt please. I thought this time we're not crossed or something but I still feel nervous," he was close enough to her body to notice the rashes on her face now.
"About what?" Hermione asked at once.
"That time I would be repentant that I… I… didn't be honest to you. It's not that I ever lied to you." He added quickly as he saw Hermione raised an eyebrow significant. "It's about things I never, um… we never discussed openly. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, but if you never talk it, I would never be sure…" she said, trying to push him to talk more.
Fifteen minutes…
"Yes, Okay." Ron shifted closer.
"I should have said to you about the feeling that I felt. First of all, I want you know that whatever I nagged about I have never really meant it. I just love our bickering, really. I just don't remember the reasons if truth be told. Same there?"
"Same here!"
"For a long time, I thought its concerning friendship. I thought we had bickered just because we were friends. But when I realised that I didn't bicker with Harry I figured out that it's not about just friendship. Is it?" He asked awkwardly, closing the distance between them.
"No!" he answered his own question, not letting Hermione speak. " It was different. Then I thought it is just a habit. We have been together for six years. Day and night… That's a long time. But when you were not around me I worried. But Harry wasn't around I didn't give a wonder, I didn't care honestly." He continued determinedly.
"Therefore I thought its about affection, I mean you're my best friend and all. But when we were crossed each other, it didn't wear off, ıt just grew wider." He was looking directly in her eyes now.
"Then like you asked, like Harry asked, I asked the same question to myself, why do you care that much? But I couldn't find a reasonable answer, could you?" Hermione felt nausea, but at that moment she couldn't decide it was because of his words or the illness.
"No, I couldn't either!" she answered sheepishly, toying with the sleeves of her nightgown. Her heart began to race, feeling perfectly what was coming.
Swallowing hardly, Ron continued, "But this year everything seemed suddenly clear. When I felt something here of a sudden, all of this made a sense." He said gesturing somewhere around his chest. Hermione couldn't help but exclaimed in his place, her eyes twinkling from joy even in the dim light of the moon.
"Love?"
"No," said Ron nonchalantly, smiling. "It's infatuation."
Hermione smiled genuinely, and touched his face adoringly with her hands. Ron bended his lips and kissed her hand in return. Then he slowly approached her face closer and closer.
"Don't, don't, don't," said Hermione abruptly, pushing him further.
"Wha- Why?" asked Ron, bewildered.
"Honestly Ron, it's not romantic!" explained Hermione grudgingly.
"Ok okay!" said Ron throwing his hands in air in defeat. They started glaring each other passionately.
"How many spots you've got there?" asked Ron after a moment, trying to sound serious.
"This morning there were seventeen!" Hermione complained right away, pursing her lips like a child.
"I can't see them where are they?" asked Ron playfully, as he leaned closer to her.
"Ron, I am sick!"
"Ok," said Ron once more. "I am going then, we had five minutes left but if you …" he said getting up to his feet abruptly.
"No, don't go," Hermione called out quickly. "I mean you are right. We won't be able to find time to-"
"To what? Snogging?" Ron cut in, trying to hide his grin.
"Get out of here Ron!" Hermione blushed an embarrassing shade of red at this word.
"Just joking!" Ron said resentfully as he sat on the bed again quickly. "At least I deserve a hug!" he exclaimed.
"But just a hug!"
"Right!" he mumbled, desperately trying to hide his joy in his voice.
After some moments, Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall, her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly murmured out of breath.
"Ron, go away..."