Disclaimer- I don't own it! So don't sue me!
Chapter 18
In Which Many Hearts Are Broken
Or
Ron's Bad Mood
"Kinky; I wish that happened to me more often," Seamus told Neville who rolled his eyes. Dean rolled over in his sleep, Seamus and Neville got into bed, and Hermione snuggled closer to Ron as she dreamt. It was a rare, but for once, things seemed to be going well and all was silent. Not a creature was stirring, not even a house elf…
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The sunlight cast a bright shadow on the clean room of the boy's dorm as Crookshanks (A/N – man? Woman? What?) nudged the door open with his paw. He slunk over to Ron's bed and jumped up onto the crimson sheets. He settled himself on Hermione's chest and began to lick her face. After all, Crookshanks was not one to be fooled for long; he knew who was his owner despite the change in appearance.
"Not now Hun. The alarm did not go off yet," Hermione said pushing the cat's face away from her. Ron rolled over in the bed and curled up closer to Hermione. Feeling a body huddle against her own Hermione groggily said, "Lavender is that you?"
She tried to open her eyes but as soon as she had she regretted it. She had a horrible headache. 'What was I doing last night,' she wondered.
"Humph…. Ginny out of my be…" Ron grunted.
"Ron is that you," Hermione suddenly sputtered as she realized who was next to her. She sat up abruptly making Crookshanks fall off her chest and tried to get her bearings.
"Ginny shud'up and go away," Ron said trying to burrow under the covers. Yep it was definitely Ron Hermione decided and then pushed him off the bed. He fell to a heap on the floor and sprang back up.
"Alright missy I have had- wait a tick, Hermione!" Ron flailed.
"Be quiet you are hurting my head. What are you doing here? Are you trying to ruin my reputation? If anyone saw you here I will be the talk of the whole school," Hermione hissed.
"Want to talk about ruining people's images? How about me finding you drunk yesterday; what are you playing at Hermione?" Ron said now getting his bearing.
Seamus pulled back his bed hangings and noticing who was talking before hollering, "Its too early for a lovers quarrel."
"Now you've done it!" Hermione screamed before grabbing her wand and stomping into the bathroom and locking the door. She cursed herself for getting drunk as her head pounded rather painfully. She gave herself a hangover reducer charm but that didn't help much.
Ron threw up his hands in frustration; man, women are annoying. He looked at his clock on the bedside table; there wouldn't be enough time to practice Quidditch this morning so he stomped out of the room to get dressed.
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Harry sat in-between his two best friends during breakfast, with a delightful hangover. Both Ron and Hermione refused to say a word, in fact nothing notable happened at all until morning mail arrived.
A bright yellow parakeet came swooping down on Ginny who sat a few seats away from the trio and dropped a howler on her head. She looked confused at the letter in her hand but then decided opening it. It jumped up and began screaming in a voice that sounded a lot like George and Fred. Which is to say that you really can't tell the difference between the two voices.
"GINNY YOU LIEING LITTLE PRAT! OUR CLOTHES ARE PINK! WHAT DID YOU DO? Gin Hun seriously! Come on Fred can't be seen in Pink! He has a reputation to keep up! Pink is sooooooo not his color hun… it clashes horrible with his dress! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM! Fred its true! GEORGE! Fred does this look like the face of a liar? No. Just trust me here pink with that dress, sooooooo unattractive. You're not going to pick up a single guy like that honest! I AM GONNA KILL YOU WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! FRED GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! REMEMBER WHO THE ENEMY IS HERE, GINNY, NOT ME! Oh yes that's right! Ginny! If you don't fix our cloths right away I swear that we will personally see to it that you are the only one home with mum! She will tear you to pieces! You know I think pink makes me look manly… George shove it! Ginny send a cure or else!"
After everyone had stopped laughing, the trio left the great hall. Ron and Hermione managed to switch their homework assignments without Harry's notice and they all trotted down to the dungeons for their potions class.
Snape waltzed into the classroom a few minutes later and barked, "Finnegan collect all the essay at once and put them on my desk. Class, today we are starting our unit on Apithy, the study of potions that can change appearances. They are the most dangerous and difficult things I am aloud to teach you. Today we will be brewing a Hags Draft. Now can anyone tell me what that is and how to apply the potion?" Hermione's hand automatically was thrown into the air and eyes all around turned towards her.
Snape was stunned into silence before skeptically saying, "Mr. Weasly are you honestly sure such that you know what I am talking about?"
"Yes Professor, the Hags Draft is a potion that allows the user to appear to others as someone unimportant. It is applied by opening a flask of it in front of a mirror and inhaling the fumes," Hermione said rapidly; Snape was taken aback once more.
Finally when he realized there was no reason that he could take off points he continued, "Well then class, take out your books and brew me a Hags Draft. The instructions are on page 73. Gather in groups of 4 and I will be testing you at the end of class. By the way Mr. Weasly, since you're the expert at this, I hope we will have no trouble brewing it."
Neville, Harry, Ron, and Hermione paired up at a cauldron and began following the directions. While they were waiting ten minutes before having to add the eye of mermaid Harry asked, "Ron, how did you know about Hags Draft?"
Hermione realized then that she probably was acting way out of character of Ron. She quickly lied, "Hermione told me." Ron gave her a glare and went back to smashing dandelion seeds.
By the end of the class most of the potions had turned out to be complete disasters and several of their classmates were sent to the hospital wing to remove the extra appendixes. Somehow Harry's group had managed to get theirs to work but since half of the Gryffindor had been mutated, Snape had a look on his face like Christmas had come early.
The trio split up; Harry and Hermione trotted off to muggle studies while Ron found his way to Ancient Ruins.
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"CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THIS IS?" Bellowed a walrus like man named Hogsmold, who was the muggle studies substitute, pointing to a toaster. Their former teacher had a run in with his muggle girlfriend and had vanished the second week of term.
"A toaster!" said Harry.
"CORRECT! 10 POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" exclaimed Hogsmold, "AND WHAT DOES IT DO?"
"Toast!" Said Hannah.
"EXELLENT! 13 POINTS TO RAVENCLAW!" Hogsmold bellowed. He put the toaster down and picked up a blender, "NOW WHAT IS THIS?"
"A blender!" Hermione informed him.
"RIGHT YOU ARE! 7 POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" He shouted, "NOW WHAT DOES IT DO?"
"Blend!" Neville said.
"YES! 25 POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR! OH YOU ARE A SMART CLASS!" Hogsmold squealed falling off his chair.
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"Hermione, do you know what kind of dragon that the Muggles dug up in 1873 and called it T-Rex? I think it was a Mongolian Razorback but it could be a …" Terry drowned on as he sat with Ron in Ancient Ruins as they 'worked' on their project. Ron tuned Terry out and pretended to read through all the notes Hermione had taken.
"Look Hermione what is up?" Terry announced slightly angry, "I know something is up. You aren't eating your vegetables, you don't pay attention in class or prefect meetings, and you have been trying to snap my head off whenever I talk to you."
"It's none of your damn business," Ron snapped.
"Hermione I never thought this day would come, when you are nicer to people that pester you all day than I, your friend who cares about you. You need to shape up your act!" Terry said before turning away from Ron. Ron grumbled and then slept the rest of the class away.
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Lavender marched up to the hospital wing to visit her best friend, Parvati, on her period off. They had decided to call a GPAHP meeting there to further discuss the letter they had intercepted for Krum from Hermione. The hospital wing was quite full with victims of Potions class and so they had to keep their voices down.
"All in session! We will now recite the pledge," Lavender said.
"We solemnly swear that we will uphold a good sense of fashion while uncovering the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about one Hermione Granger and one Ronald Weasly. In doing so we will be empowered to get Parvati her hottie. We shall do this or so help us god!" The two girls recited.
"Ok on to business!" Lavender announced.
'Well it's a sure thing that Hermione does not have a thing for Krum. I mean look at this letter. Plus the way she was talking about him after their date. Which only leads me to believe that she has a thing for Ron," Parvati announced.
"Yes, that makes sense, but does Ron return the feelings?" Lavender questioned.
"I don't know. I think we need to do more snooping. Maybe we should question his dorm mates. Oh I see Dean and Seamus over in the corner… I think… does Dean have a hand coming out of his head? Oh never mind it looks more like a claw. Well at any rate you are on good terms with them aren't you? Why don't you go over there and do some investigating," Parvati concluded.
"Superb idea I shall do so immediately," Lavender announced getting up and sauntering to the mangled bodies of Dean and Seamus.
"Oi lavender, escaped from potions class unharmed I see," Seamus said cheerfully his orange Ear on his forehead wobbling slightly.
"Yes, so did Ron and Hermione I noticed. They seem to be getting along rather well after that big fight they had don't they," Lavender said bating her lashes.
"I don't know about that, this morning they had a huge fight in Ron's bed. It even woke me up!" Seamus explained.
"They where in Ron's bed together?" Lavender said her curiously perking up.
"Yeah! I found Hermione and Ron asleep together when I came into our room last night. Dean do you remember what happened?"
"No man, everything from last night was a blur…" Dean explained rubbing his head.
"Do you think there is something between them?" Lavender said wide-eyed.
"You know now that you mention it they seem rather keen about each other. I think you might be right," Seamus devised.
"Oh my!" Lavender squealed, "I have to tell Parvati!" without another word she trotted of to Parvati bed and explained the horrible news.
"They where in bed together?" Parvati howled flopping back onto her bed, "Oh I am through! Ronald Weasly has broken my heart! He slept with another women! How could he do this to me? We were soul mates!"
"I am soooo sorry Parvati," Lavender soothed.
"I loved him," Parvati began to sob.
"Parvati he wasn't all that good looking, you don't need to cry about him," lavender said trying to make her friend feel better.
"But he was," She sobbed.
"Well he isn't smart like Terry, famous like Krum, or brave like Harry," Lavender said hurriedly.
"Oh my god your right!" Parvati said perking up, "Krum is soooooo famous and nice. He is sooooo mysterious, and he is single!"
"That's right!" lavender encouraged, "Plus he is older so he is more mature!"
"Lavender, I think I am in love," Parvati sighed.
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Ron exited Ancient Ruins and walked to the great hall for lunch but was stopped halfway there by a hand on his back.
"Hermione we need to talk," Krum said leading him to an empty classroom. Ron had to admit he was a wee bit scared. "Look Hermione, I love you. And… and… well… I know now that you will never like me the way I like you… I mean I understand…" Krum shifted uncomfortably, "well I can pretend that it doesn't hurt me… because it does… you mean the world to me… But I want you to be happy and I want to be happy too… So I guess what I am saying is…" He stopped and rung his hands trying to make up his mind, "The point is… I know that I could never be just friends with you now because of the feelings I harbor for you… and so I am leaving after this fall term and … well I would like you not to write me. It would just make the hurt worse," Krum finished keeping his eyes averted from Ron the entire time.
Ron was stunned into silence. For once in his life he actually felt sorry for Krum. To be frank, Krum was the embodiment of everything Ron wanted to be. To Ron their seemed nothing Krum couldn't do. But suddenly in this last minute Krum became human. The idea that Krum could not be hurt was shattered as Ron looked at the sunken form of Krum. Ron felt guilty because he knew it was his work that had hurt Krum.
"What?" was all Ron could manage to say.
"Hermione, it's not your fault and it's not mine. We just need to go our separate ways. I am sorry I know you wanted us to be friends." He shifted awkwardly once more and glanced around the room before quickly continuing once more, "Look I have a flying class to get ready for I have to go. I really am sorry and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday… Maybe we will see each other when we are older and become friends once more. But I can't take it right now Hermione. Goodbye," Krum finished, leaving Ron alone in the classroom. Ron decided not to have lunch in the great hall after all he was feeling lower than low at the moment.
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A/N- so it took me half a year to write such a short chapter I am sorry. I hope this pleases you all! I have been trying to tie up some of the loose ends in the story (am I doing a good job?). Does this chapter fit with the rest? Or is it to sentimental? Do the classes seam realistic enough?