She Loves You

Chapter 3: The Revelation

Ron grumbled unhappily as he left the Potions dungeon. He had just had a long talk with Professor Slughorn about woman, arguments, and how to avoid them. And now his morning break was wasted, so he marched moodily to his next class, which thankfully, he didn't share with Hermione. He was simply in no mood to deal with her. He wasn't sure how she'd react. He wasn't even sure how he would.

Ron's next class was Transfiguration with Harry and the Ravenclaws. As he made his way down corridors, a few Slytherins here and there were applauding him, saying, "Nice going with calling Hermione a Mudblood! Don't take it back!" Ron kept his head low. He was not about to rise to their bait. When he arrived outside the Transfiguration classroom, he was happy to see the door open, so he slipped inside the empty room and dumped his bag on his usual desk. Sighing, he ruffled his orange-red hair and sat down, putting his head face down on the desk.

What kind of mess did he get himself into? The anger he felt towards Hermione was starting to slip away. Pretty soon, he'd be feeling sorrow, he just knew it.

'Come on, Ron!' he told himself silently. 'Get it together! Yes, you regret calling her that extreme insult. But she started it! She brought up your marks, called you an idiot in so many more words! She should be the one regretting things!' Ron's expression hardened. His resentment towards her was rising again. He refused to be on the same level as a Slytherin, but he wasn't prepared to feel sorry for Hermione yet. He wasn't about to break down and go apologizing to her.

There was a creaking noise as the door opened and in walked Harry, looking rather cautious. Ron gave him a funny look.

"You're here early," he stated.

"So are you," Harry replied. They looked at each for a few seconds before Harry explained himself. "Slughorn told me you might head to your next class early since you two were talking for so long. What'd he say to you?" Ron shrugged.

"You know, the usual teacher banter about how words of intolerance are not accepted. He questioned me about the fight me and Hermione had, and well… you know…"

"You told him everything because of the Veritaserum."

"Yeah… A bit embarrassing, you might say." Harry smiled and sat down next to Ron.

"You reckon it's still working?"

"I dunno, maybe. Ask me a silly question."

"Did you and Lavender ever… take things seriously?" Ron blushed.

"I said a silly question, not a personal one! No, me and Lavender never went beyond kissing!" Harry started laughing.

"Seriously, though," he began, sobering up. "I wanted to talk to you. About Hermione."

"Oh boy, here we go again. You can be a real pain in the arse sometimes, you know that?"

"You said you regret calling her a Mudblood?"

"Yes, I did, but I'm still mad at her. Mudblood wasn't my first choice but it was the most powerful, so it was the word I used. I didn't mean to. I just figured if she was comparing me to Malfoy anyway, I may as well call her something only he would call her."

"What do you think of her?" Harry asked, trying to see if the Veritaserum would allow Ron to spill the beans.

"I think she's a right stuck-up, bossy, bushy-haired, know-it-all who doesn't know when to mind her own business and keep her goddamn mouth shut!" Ron shouted to the ceiling all in one breath. Harry groaned. That was not what he was expecting.

"I meant do you feel anything for her!" Harry growled, getting frustrated with Ron's antics.

"I don't know!" Ron threw his hands into the air. He looked so confused and troubled at the moment, and then suddenly looked contemplative. "She mixes me up! Makes me feel Confunded all the time! I feel like I'm on fire when she's around! My heart starts to pound and I can't see straight!" Harry now knew that Ron was still under the effects of the truth serum, otherwise he wouldn't be saying those private thoughts. "But when she makes me mad, I… I don't know…" Ron looked down at his feet. "When we fight, it's exciting, but it's cold. And it's frustrating! I feel like she's brushing my off, giving me the cold shoulder. It's like she's trying to tell me something. She's telling me 'Back off, you're not worth my time! It's never going to work between us'. And that just makes me… fall apart…" Ron let his head drop heavily down onto the desk with a loud thump.

"Ron…" Harry whispered. "You don't understand. She didn't mean to get into it like that. She's sorry. You're sorry. But you two are too bloody stubborn to do anything about it!" Ron shook his head.

"It's not just that! I can't face her! I can bear to see her look at me with smug look of 'I told you so' written all over her face, 'cause you know that's just what she'll do if I say sorry first!"

"You'd probably do the same if she was the initial one to come forward!" Before either of them could continue, Professor McGonagull walked in and seemed to jump slightly to see her tardiest students the first ones in her class.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley!" she exclaimed. "This is a surprise!" Ron and Harry shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "Why on Earth are you actually early for my lesson?"

"No reason!" they both said at once. Then they grinned. The Veritaserum had worn off finally. McGonagull gave them a stern and suspicious look before turning back to her prep work for her upcoming lesson.

"Ah, Friday night at last!" Ginny cheered as she flopped down on the plush leather couch beside the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Harry murmured in agreements, occasionally looking over his shoulder. "Who's haunting you?"

"What?" he mumbled, focusing on her. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You're looking over your shoulder like you're keeping an eye out for spooks! What's going on?"

"Waiting for Ron."

"Why?"

"To pressure him into forgiving Hermione and talk to her."

"Ah." Ginny stretched her arms out. "I'd lock them in a closet together, personally. Take their wands too so Hermione can't 'Alohamora' her way out." Harry chuckled.

"If only it were that easy. They may be difficult, but they're not daft." He shook his head, hoping an idea would come to him. "Hermione told me something today."

"Hmm?" Ginny leaned in, curious to know what Harry was referring to.

"Yeah, she said… she loves him." Ginny grinned widely.

"Well everyone knows that! It's fantastic she realized it finally!"

"Yeah, but how do I get Ron to come around? This morning, we took some Veritaserum we made in Potions class and I asked how he felt about Hermione. Y'know, see if he fancied her or not. But even with the truth serum, I couldn't get a straight answer out of him! He is one confused boy, he is."

"Maybe you should tell him how Hermione feels." Harry paused a moment. Would that work…? "I think the only thing stopping him from making the first move on her is the arguments they have. It throws him off, y'know. He can't figure out if she really fancies him or not, the way she yells at him sometimes." Harry had a confused look on his face and opened his mouth to ask a question, but Ginny cut him off. "He talks to me, that's how I know. He doesn't have to be on the truth serum to discuss his feelings, y'know." Harry's eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

"But Hermione trusts me. I can't go blabbing her feelings to the one she loves. It's not my place. If she wants to tell him—"

"You know she won't. She never will. That's the problem! They're both bloody cowards when it comes to love. They could take on You-Know-Who a million times over, but they can't admit their feelings to each other. In cases like these, you need to be the divine intervention they need to get their relationship off the ground."

"Ginny, I just don't think it's a good idea. If I push too hard, they won't speak to me."

"And if you don't push hard enough, they won't speak to each other ever again." Ginny gently took Harry's hand. "You have to make them understand or nothing will ever happen." Harry gazed at her curiously. She was never one to carry on long conversations with him before (the first while after they met, she was too shy, and then when they were dating, it consisted mostly of snuggling and snogging). These were the deepest words she had ever spoken.

Harry gave a soft smile. "Thanks, Gin! I'll talk to him next time I see him!"

And the next time that Harry saw Ron was when they were getting ready for bed. Harry was alone in the dorm room giving Hedwig a nice treat when he heard the door open.

"Hey Ron," Harry greeted when he saw the tall redhead come in. "Listen, can I have a word with you?"

"If it's about Hermione, no." Ron tossed his uniform into his trunk and pulled on a new pair of socks.

"No, no, of course not!" Harry sat down on Ron's bed. "It's, uh… it's about Quidditch!" Ron gave him a skeptical raised-eyebrow look that said he clearly didn't believe Harry. "Right… Listen, there's something you should know about Hermione…"

"God, Harry! You're the most persistent bloke I've ever met!" He started storming to the other side of the room.

"C'mon, Ron! You can't stay mad at her forever!" Harry followed him across the room to his bed.

"Watch me!"

"You were a pretty big prat too!"

"With good reason!"

"Ron, listen to me, you have to go talk to her!"

"Why should I?"

"Because she's in love with you!" Harry fixed Ron with a serious look. Now Ron knew. It was his turn to make a move. Ron stared, wide-eyed and mouth open, at this new piece of information.

"She… Hermione… loves me?" He looked around, looking for some sign that he heard wrong or that he was going mad.

"Yes, you stupid lump." Somehow, it felt good to get that off Harry's shoulders. "The longer this bloody feud lasts, the more painful it is on her!" He took a deep breath. "The only reason she brought up your small clothes is because you called her ugly. And when a girl's looks are insulted by the bloke she's in love with, I imagine it does a number on her self-esteem. She doesn't even care about the Mudblood part anymore! She knows you didn't mean it! She loves you, man!" Ron slowly ran his hands through his hair, trying to mull over everything he just heard.

"I… I don't know what to say," he whispered. Harry looked at him with sympathy.

"You don't have to say anything to me. Just promise me you'll say something to Hermione." With that, Harry disappeared behind the curtains of his four-poster bed. Ron stood dumbfounded in the middle of the dorm room for a few minutes, not speaking or mouth, barely breathing.

Somehow, he found himself in the common room where a few late-night stragglers were hanging out, including Dean, Seamus, and Neville. When they noticed him stumble by, Dean called, "Oi, alright there Ron? You look a little dazed."

"I…" Ron trailed off, sinking into a chair. "She… loves me…" He suddenly looked panicked. "What do I do? What am I supposed to do?"

"Whoa, slow down!" Seamus urged, holding his hands up. "What the bloody hell are you blathering about?"

"Seamus, what would you do if your best friend was in love with you?" Ron asked seriously. Seamus and Dean exchanged looks. "No! I mean if your best friend was a girl."

"Oh, well…" Seamus put on a pondering look. "Depends, really. If we got along anyway, I'd give it a go, see what happens. Doesn't hurt to look into it."

"You wouldn't find it… weird?"

"Hell no! People say your true love is usually your best friend! Your best friend is someone you can talk to with ease. Someone you're not afraid to boss around or have tiffs with. They're someone you trust, someone you get along with, someone you share interests with. If it was some random new girl, you wouldn't have that same connection." Ron was surprised.

"Wow… That was deep."

"Cheers, mate!" Seamus chuckled.

"Why, did Hermione confess or something?" Dean joked, nudging Neville in the ribs. Ron paled and realization dawned on Dean. "Oh god, she did?"

"Well congratulations, mate! She's a fine catch!"

"She didn't tell me!" Ron groaned. "Harry did!"

"Oh…" Dean loosened his collar. "Um… congratulations there?"

"No, no, no! He's not the one in love with me! He told me that Hermione loves me!" A wave of understanding flooded over the other three's faces.

"Oooh…"

"Yes! So I haven't spoken with her yet. She doesn't know I know."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Seamus laughed.

"Um… morning? I bet she's sleeping by now. But that's not the problem!" The three boys waited for Ron to elaborate. "We're still mad at each other."

"How can she love and hate you at the same time?" Neville asked meekly.

"That's the mystery of girls, innit?" Seamus chuckled.

"The point is," Ron continued. "if she's still mad at me, we're not going anywhere. I don't know how to approach her. I don't know where to start! I don't even know how I feel about her! She's one of the most complicated girls I've ever met! It's like everything that should make sense doesn't when she's around. Which is ironic, since she's such a brilliant witch."

"Well here's a question: do you really want to keep this up? Avoiding her like the plague? Refuse to talk to her?"

"I thought I did. I'm not so sure anymore. I was so mad at her five days ago, but I can't seem to keep it up anymore." He paused as something occurred to him. "I miss her. I really… really miss her."

"Then stop torturing yourself!" Dean exclaimed, patting Ron on the back. "Seems pretty clear to me what you should do. Talk to her. Forget about your row, that's in the past now. Find out how you feel." Neville and Seamus nodded in agreement. Ron smiled weakly, never being happier to have friends like them and Harry.

"Thanks, guys!" he said. He stretched with a yawn, suddenly feeling more relaxed now that this emotional burden was off his back. "I'm gonna head to bed. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Night," they called as Ron walked towards the stairs.

As soon as he hit the bed, he felt overwhelmingly exhausted. Thoughts rushed through his head as he tried to sort out what he was feeling before drowsiness took him.

We get along anyway. But she puts me in such a state sometimes. She's brilliant and beautiful and adoring. But she teased me about my clothes. She's hardworking and selfless. But she called me a poor excuse for a wizard. She kissed Krum! But that was three years ago. Ah, hell, what do I care? I'll get over it! I'm not blowing my chance again.

An image of Hermione's face appeared in Ron's mind. She was smiling her shy smile, her hair doing its bushy thing, her cheeks glowing, her eyes twinkling brightly. In that instant, Ron had an epiphany.

"I love her…" he whispered.

A/N: Final chapter coming up now. Thanks to those who have reviewed and read this far. :)