Disclaimer: I own nothing. All props to JK Rowling.
"So what do you think he's up to?" Ron asked at breakfast the next day.
"I don't know," Harry said. Hermione stared at her eggs thoughtfully.
"He said he was paying us back for revealing his father. Maybe he wanted his father revealed," she suggested.
"Wanted his father revealed? Are you crazy Hermione? That bloody git wants nothing more than to BE his father!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione shrugged. Maybe they were right; maybe Malfoy was just getting around to the nasty part. But something inside Hermione told her that was wrong. It was like she knew Malfoy didn't want to be like his father. But she didn't know why. Ron gently nudged her.
"Hey, you ok?" he asked. He looked at her concerned. She looked very confused, and that's not like Hermione at all. "Look, don't let the ferret get to you. He's just being a stupid prat. This is what he wants. He wants you to be pulling your hair out on this. I bet you anything he does." Hermione smiled at him. Ron smiled back. Hermione's cheeks suddenly became flushed, so she looked away. Ginny leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" Hermione said, acting as if she didn't know what Ginny was talking about.
"You know. You blushed when Ron smiled at you. I saw it," Ginny said. Hermione sighed. She knew Ginny wasn't going to give up now, not with thinking that there was something happening between Hermione and Ron.
"For a while now, I've been having this dream. I'm not going into details, so don't ask. But in the dream, there's this boy. And he's perfect, Gin. Really perfect." Hermione continued telling Ginny about her dream and the Prince.
"So, you think the Prince is Ron? Not to... crush your fantasy... but Ron's no prince," Ginny said, almost laughing.
"You're not crushing any fantasies, Ginny. But, why are you laughing at me! This isn't funny! There's someone in my life that's very important, and I don't know who it is!" Hermione's face steadily grew redder. Rather if it was from anger or embarrassment, Ginny didn't know. But she left Hermione alone, for now. Hermione, Harry and Ron all got up and left for double Transfiguration. They walked into the classroom and chose their seats. Harry sat next to Seamus, and Ron quickly took the seat next to Hermione. Hermione heard the door bang open. She turned just in time to see the Slytherins walk into the classroom.
"I swear! We have every class with those.. those..." Hermione started. She didn't finish her sentence because Professor McGonagall walked in. Transfiguration went well. Hermione was the first to successfully turn her candle into a granite statue. Her statue was a white unicorn. It looked exactly like the one in her dream. Many people were having problems. This was a different kind of transfiguration. Most of the time, they were turning objects into a completely different object. Now, they were just changing the composition of the material. It took a completely different train of thought. Professor McGonagall had instructed the students to concentrate on changing the wax into granite. She said what form the granite took was not important. But to Hermione, it was very important. Her dream was beginning to become real; beginning to materialize.
* * *
Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room. She found Harry and Ron sitting at a table playing wizard's chess. She had just gotten back from Arthimacy, a subject the two boys were not taking. She put her books on the table next to Ron and sat down. Just then, they heard a sharp rapping at the window. Harry turned to look at it. It was a large barn owl carrying a package. Harry let him in. The package was addressed to him. With a quizzical look on his face, he tore off the packing paper. Inside the box, there was a set of quidditch balls. A very good set, indeed. Inside the case holding the quaffle, two bludgers, and the golden snitch, there was a certification guaranteeing that these balls were the same balls used at the World Quidditch Cup. Also inside, there was a card. Harry read it quickly and discovered that it was his birthday present from Hermione and Ron.
"Wow!" Harry gasped. "This must have cost you guys a fortune!"
"That's why we bought it together. I'm sorry it's here so late. They didn't have any in stock and they were sold out for months! I ordered it and told them to ship it to Hogwarts as soon as they got it," Hermione explained quickly. She hoped that Harry wasn't too upset when he didn't get a present from her.
"You both sent me a cake and a letter on my birthday. You didn't need to buy me anything," Harry said.
"Of course we did, mate. You're our best friend," Ron said. Harry smiled at them.
"Thanks guys. I love it." Harry left to put his gift up in his room. Ron turned and looked at Hermione.
"Well, he liked it. I told you he would, didn't I?" Ron said. Hermione blushed.
"You did. You were right. I don't see how you two can stand to play that awful game all the time," Hermione said gesturing to the chessboard.
"But it's so much fun! You don't even know how to play. You can't trash talk something you've never tried," Ron said.
"I do too know how to play. And I could beat you any old day," Hermione said.
"Prove it." Ron knew she was bluffing. But he wanted her to play with him, and if that meant letting her win, then he would do it. Hermione agreed and moved to Harry's chair. She and Ron began to play, and to her surprise she was winning.
"Check," Hermione said. Ron looked at the board. He had been able to move into checkmate about seven times now. He sighed. If he continued to let her win, the game would take ages. Ron gave up and moved his last knight into checkmate.
"No fair!" Hermione exclaimed. "I didn't know that you could take a piece AND call checkmate!!" Ron smiled. Hermione pouted. Ron leaned across the table.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. You'll just have to learn that you can't always win."
"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione said, smacking him in the arm. Ron caught her arm however. Hermione felt her stomach to a flip. She blushed and pulled away. She gathered her books and excused herself from the room. Harry stayed where he was, just inside the boy's side doors. He smiled at his two friends. He had suspected that Ron liked Hermione. Their actions lately just confirmed that.
"So what do you think he's up to?" Ron asked at breakfast the next day.
"I don't know," Harry said. Hermione stared at her eggs thoughtfully.
"He said he was paying us back for revealing his father. Maybe he wanted his father revealed," she suggested.
"Wanted his father revealed? Are you crazy Hermione? That bloody git wants nothing more than to BE his father!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione shrugged. Maybe they were right; maybe Malfoy was just getting around to the nasty part. But something inside Hermione told her that was wrong. It was like she knew Malfoy didn't want to be like his father. But she didn't know why. Ron gently nudged her.
"Hey, you ok?" he asked. He looked at her concerned. She looked very confused, and that's not like Hermione at all. "Look, don't let the ferret get to you. He's just being a stupid prat. This is what he wants. He wants you to be pulling your hair out on this. I bet you anything he does." Hermione smiled at him. Ron smiled back. Hermione's cheeks suddenly became flushed, so she looked away. Ginny leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" Hermione said, acting as if she didn't know what Ginny was talking about.
"You know. You blushed when Ron smiled at you. I saw it," Ginny said. Hermione sighed. She knew Ginny wasn't going to give up now, not with thinking that there was something happening between Hermione and Ron.
"For a while now, I've been having this dream. I'm not going into details, so don't ask. But in the dream, there's this boy. And he's perfect, Gin. Really perfect." Hermione continued telling Ginny about her dream and the Prince.
"So, you think the Prince is Ron? Not to... crush your fantasy... but Ron's no prince," Ginny said, almost laughing.
"You're not crushing any fantasies, Ginny. But, why are you laughing at me! This isn't funny! There's someone in my life that's very important, and I don't know who it is!" Hermione's face steadily grew redder. Rather if it was from anger or embarrassment, Ginny didn't know. But she left Hermione alone, for now. Hermione, Harry and Ron all got up and left for double Transfiguration. They walked into the classroom and chose their seats. Harry sat next to Seamus, and Ron quickly took the seat next to Hermione. Hermione heard the door bang open. She turned just in time to see the Slytherins walk into the classroom.
"I swear! We have every class with those.. those..." Hermione started. She didn't finish her sentence because Professor McGonagall walked in. Transfiguration went well. Hermione was the first to successfully turn her candle into a granite statue. Her statue was a white unicorn. It looked exactly like the one in her dream. Many people were having problems. This was a different kind of transfiguration. Most of the time, they were turning objects into a completely different object. Now, they were just changing the composition of the material. It took a completely different train of thought. Professor McGonagall had instructed the students to concentrate on changing the wax into granite. She said what form the granite took was not important. But to Hermione, it was very important. Her dream was beginning to become real; beginning to materialize.
* * *
Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room. She found Harry and Ron sitting at a table playing wizard's chess. She had just gotten back from Arthimacy, a subject the two boys were not taking. She put her books on the table next to Ron and sat down. Just then, they heard a sharp rapping at the window. Harry turned to look at it. It was a large barn owl carrying a package. Harry let him in. The package was addressed to him. With a quizzical look on his face, he tore off the packing paper. Inside the box, there was a set of quidditch balls. A very good set, indeed. Inside the case holding the quaffle, two bludgers, and the golden snitch, there was a certification guaranteeing that these balls were the same balls used at the World Quidditch Cup. Also inside, there was a card. Harry read it quickly and discovered that it was his birthday present from Hermione and Ron.
"Wow!" Harry gasped. "This must have cost you guys a fortune!"
"That's why we bought it together. I'm sorry it's here so late. They didn't have any in stock and they were sold out for months! I ordered it and told them to ship it to Hogwarts as soon as they got it," Hermione explained quickly. She hoped that Harry wasn't too upset when he didn't get a present from her.
"You both sent me a cake and a letter on my birthday. You didn't need to buy me anything," Harry said.
"Of course we did, mate. You're our best friend," Ron said. Harry smiled at them.
"Thanks guys. I love it." Harry left to put his gift up in his room. Ron turned and looked at Hermione.
"Well, he liked it. I told you he would, didn't I?" Ron said. Hermione blushed.
"You did. You were right. I don't see how you two can stand to play that awful game all the time," Hermione said gesturing to the chessboard.
"But it's so much fun! You don't even know how to play. You can't trash talk something you've never tried," Ron said.
"I do too know how to play. And I could beat you any old day," Hermione said.
"Prove it." Ron knew she was bluffing. But he wanted her to play with him, and if that meant letting her win, then he would do it. Hermione agreed and moved to Harry's chair. She and Ron began to play, and to her surprise she was winning.
"Check," Hermione said. Ron looked at the board. He had been able to move into checkmate about seven times now. He sighed. If he continued to let her win, the game would take ages. Ron gave up and moved his last knight into checkmate.
"No fair!" Hermione exclaimed. "I didn't know that you could take a piece AND call checkmate!!" Ron smiled. Hermione pouted. Ron leaned across the table.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. You'll just have to learn that you can't always win."
"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione said, smacking him in the arm. Ron caught her arm however. Hermione felt her stomach to a flip. She blushed and pulled away. She gathered her books and excused herself from the room. Harry stayed where he was, just inside the boy's side doors. He smiled at his two friends. He had suspected that Ron liked Hermione. Their actions lately just confirmed that.