Disclaimer: None of the people, places, or things surrounding Hogwarts and the wizarding world are my creation; they belong to the wonderful Ms. Jo Rowling.
A/N: Here it is! Ch. 3 in this increasingly epic story. Contained in here we have the infamous "fight," and Ron and Hermione's continuing tension-filled confusion. The last chapter featured Ron's internal monologue, so I figured that Hermione should have her say at the end of this chapter. But before that, I just want to shower praise and thanks on all my absolutely wonderful reviewers. You guys are awesome…there's just no other way to describe it. ;-D
ronniekinsmioneever: So glad you liked the tension. When I was reading HBP I could just see this happening in my head. Poor Harry! And don't worry, you can expect many more hysterical moments to come. I'm so glad you liked it. :-)
Roberta Nunes: Thank you so much, sweetie! I love knowing that all different types of people from across the world are able to read my writing. I will most definitely write more as quickly as I can.
Jesus.Lives: Yes, Ginny did seem nasty at the time, but I really think it was just out of annoyance. She wanted to get at Ron, and she figured out the best way to. I think that later though, she realized she'd actually made things really bad beween Ron and Hermione. You'll see some of that guilt in later chapters. Stay tuned. ;-)
RonMione4eva: Types as quickly as fingers can move across keyboard. I want to write the story as much as you want to read it, my dear. Thanks bunches for your wonderfully positive comments!
Phillyactress: One of my biggest pet peeves where fanfiction is concerned is authors who start a really great story, and then never finish it. Gah, it drives me insane! Don't you worry; I WILL finish this story. There just might be times where I can't update on a regular schedule...but you will never be left without an update for longer than a week and a half. That's my promise to you.
legolascrazy17: Again, thank you so utterly much for your words. Whenever I see a review from you, I smile really wide. :-D The intent was to make you guys mad at Ron, but also sympathetic. However, I do think that snogging Lavender and getting involved with her gave him the experience he needed to go back to Hermione and start a long-term (as in LIFE LONG!) relationship with her. It will also make him see that Hermione's always been his--he was just too stupid to see it--and that arguing with each other is just the way they are. It's normal and comfortable, and I really feel that Ron will grow enough to understand and appreciate that. The one thing I'm going to change (and kind of have already) is the communication between the two. I really couldn't believe that they just stopped speaking altogether during those few months. Harry might not have ever seen them together, but I do think that there were times they spoke...or fought. Lol. Anyway, thank you gobs for your kind comments. You're my absolute favorite. And thank you also for your wishes on my senior year--it's been amazing so far. And my trip to California was wonderful...lots of hot boys. ;-D Tootles for now!
DCoD: I did feel it was important to explain how Ron came about deciding to just snog Lavender. It literally comes out of nowhere in HBP, and I really thought that Ron deserved a chance to let us know what his thought process was. Thank you for picking up on what I was trying to do. :-)
Chapter 3: The Fight
The next morning, Hermione woke early and fairly skipped down to the Common Room. She stopped short when she saw the normally empty room was indeed occupied.
"Ron?" she asked curiously, telling her heart to stop its ferocious beating. Ron turned around, and Hermione smiled softly at him. "Good morning," she added.
To her surprise and dismay, however, Ron didn't return the greeting. He didn't even smile back at her. Instead, he abruptly turned around to continue staring into the fire. Trying to ignore the overwhelming crash to her system, Hermione took a tentative step towards him.
"Is something the matter, Ron? You know, if you're nervous or anxious about anything you can tell me. I'm—I'm sure I can help."
"Oh, don't worry, you've done enough already," Ron said coldly and Hermione jumped back at the icy tone of his voice.
When Ron saw her face shudder like that, he instantly felt horrible. He was hurting her, he could tell, and that was the absolute LAST thing he ever wanted to do. He tried hard to remind himself of how much he had been hurting the night before, and steeled himself for his next words.
"I don't need your help…I don't need you to do anything for me," he added, utterly surprised when his voice didn't stutter through those awful lies. "You always try to tell me what to do, how to do it. Right annoying sometimes."
Hermione felt as if she'd been slapped. Her heart was being systematically ripped to pieces. Her legs were suddenly weak and she stumbled into the back of the soft couch, landing with a soft thump. Where was this coming from? What happened to the happy, goofy, blushing Ron she'd seen yesterday before Quidditch practice?
"I—I don't understand," she said softly, hoping her watering eyes wouldn't spill over. Her hands were already shaking as it was. "What…did I do something wrong?"
YES, you kissed that bloody git! Ron's mind screamed, but he forced himself to be silent. He didn't want to look at her. He knew she was upset and—because she was Hermione—probably about to burst into tears; he never could stand it when she cried, and this was even worse, because he knew he was the reason.
Finally, Hermione spoke again. "I—I'm sorry," she whispered before standing up. She had to get out of the Common Room before she completely lost control of her emotions. But something stopped her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to transfer her intense hurt into the anger she usually felt towards Ron. She turned back around and came to stand directly in front of Ron.
"You know, no I'm not," she began again. "I can hardly apologize for something I didn't do. Or at least for something I don't know that I did. So, tell me, Ronald, what is it this time?"
This was a bit better. He could handle Hermione being equally mad at him—it was the hurting, vulnerable Hermione that he didn't want to see.
"You know," he grumbled, forgetting his resolution not to speak to her anymore.
"No, I don't, you prat! If I did, then we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Well, I'm not going to bloody tell you," he shot back.
"Oh, yes, that's very mature, Ron. You're not going to tell me? That is certainly one of the more brainless things you've said over the years. And trust me, you've had quite a few."
"Keeping track then, are you? Perhaps you have a list? 'The Top 1000 Idiotic Things Ron Has Done.' Yes, I can see it now. Love to exploit me, don't you, Hermione?"
If she didn't know Ron as well as she did, Hermione would have brushed off that last remark as something sad out of anger, and blazed on with another insult. But something about the way he sounded when he said it gave her pause. He hadn't sounded annoyed; his voice had gotten quieter, more serious, as if he was speaking the truth. She peered into his eyes and couldn't help the softening she felt when she was the hurt hidden in his blue gaze.
"Ron…" she started, but he cut her off.
"Save it, Hermione!" he bellowed. "Just—just get away from me!" With that, he whirled around and stormed out of the Common Room.
Hermione stood there in shock, her mouth hanging open slightly. He knew I saw something in his eyes, something he didn't want me to see.
"Hermione?" She turned and found Harry standing nervously on the edge of the boys' staircase. He seemed tense, and Hermione knew he'd overheard at least part of the fight.
She sighed and returned to her seat, still trying to process all that had happened in the last ten minutes. "How much did you hear?" she muttered.
Harry squirmed. "Er, well, just that last bit. Do you really keep a list—"
"Oh for heaven's sake, Harry, what do you think?" she snapped.
He shrugged and was about to make a glib reply when he saw Hermione's shoulders start to shake. Oh, damn you, Ron, Hermione thought angrily. Now he had her crying in front of Harry, something that because she knew it made Harry uncomfortable, she tried never to do.
"Er, it's okay, Hermione," Harry was saying awkwardly, reaching over and patting her gently on the shoulder. She could tell he meant well. "Um, did something bad happen?" he asked feebly, though it was obvious by Hermione's current emotional state and the fact that Ron had just burst out of the room, that something bad had indeed just happened.
"He—he just exploded," she hiccupped, wiping her eyes and trying to regain her composure. "I came down here and he was already here. I—I thought we—we could talk, you know? We've been getting along so well lately, that I…" She trailed off and sighed. "I should have known better," she murmured sadly, "Because we're us, right?"
"But you've been getting along loads better, right? It's just Ron being, well, Ron. He's probably just nervous about the Quidditch game coming up," Harry offered, though he knew it was a pitiful excuse for his friend's terrible behavior. "Listen, let's just go down to breakfast. I'm sure that once he has food in him, Ron will apologize and everything will go back to normal."
He and Hermione left for the Great Hall, both hoping that things with Ron would blow over. Hermione couldn't stand it when she and Ron weren't speaking—it hurt to know that someone she loved so much could get so upset with her—and Harry hated being put in the middle when his best friends were rowing. It was hard on all three of them.
But things didn't get any better over the next few days leading up to the Quidditch match. If anything, Ron became angrier and was now not only not speaking to Hermione, but snapping at just about everyone who dared cross his path. Harry was finally forced to confront Ron on Saturday afternoon, as the two were lounging under a tree in the yard, avoiding (as always) their homework.
"Ron, what's been going on with you?" He asked bluntly, knowing that there were thousands of better ways he could broached the subject, but wanting to get the point across. "You've been surly all week."
His friend refused to look at him, staring at the ground and crossing his arms. "Humph," Ron responded shortly. "None of your business."
"Come on, Ron, you can tell me if something's wrong. Is it about the match tomorrow? 'Cause you know you'll be awesome—you always get nervous and then save nearly Quaffle that heads your way." Harry figured that highlighting Ron's good points might end up in his favor.
But Ron didn't seem to be listening. He was staring off in the direction of the lake absently, as if he didn't even realize Harry had been talking. The anger and tension that had been in his body all week had evaporated, being replaced with a general heaviness that worried Harry. "Ron, what's going on?"
"D'you really think Hermione snogged him?"
Harry groaned. He KNEW it. Ron hadn't been upset because he was nervous; he was still harping over Hermione's alleged snogging of Viktor Krum. He rubbed his temples; he really didn't want to have this conversation again. Because no matter which way he spun it, the odds were never in Ron's favor.
"Ron, don't do this to yourself. It's not fair to you…or to Hermione for that matter. Did you know she's been avoiding you all week?"
"Yeah, so what? I told her to stay away from me," Ron said harshly, though his eyes bespoke a truthful sorrow, if ever so brief.
"No, you git, because she's afraid she did something wrong. She thinks she messed up and—"
"Well she did! The second she kissed that ruddy, good for nothing bas—"
"OKAY, not helping," Harry interjected quickly. "Ron, it's me. No bull shit, remember? You're not doing this because you're mad at Hermione. You're doing it because the thought of her kissing Krum hurt you."
Ron's gaze whirled back to Harry's and Harry jumped back in shock—he'd never seen Ron that angry at him. "Stuff it, Harry," he said coldly before jumping up and walking quickly away.
Harry sat back in confusion. Well that certainly hadn't worked.
The day of the Quidditch game dawned bright and beautiful, but for Hermione, it couldn't have been duller. Ron hadn't spoken to her since that horrible explosion in the Common Room. She'd tried numerous times to get him to at least tell her what was the matter, but he either didn't respond or told her that she KNEW what she'd done. Which she didn't. The whole process was making her exhausted. Still, she went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, with every intention of wishing Harry AND Ron good luck.
On her way down the corridor, she stumbled, her books falling to her floor. She knew she wasn't going to be able to catch herself, and gasped loudly, bracing herself for the fall.
But it never came. Instead she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, lifting her up against a very solid, very warm chest.
A very Ron Weasley chest, Hermione realized with a start as she took in the smell that was Ron. A heady, wonderful mix of chocolate, pumpkin juice, and grass. She swiveled around to thank him, but before she could open her mouth all the way, he'd dropped his arms and was turning to continue walking.
"Wouldn't happen if you didn't lug all those books around," she heard him say gruffly as he walked away from her.
Hermione stood right where she was and sighed. What had she done? It was obviously such a grievous offense that Ron couldn't bear being in her presence for longer than a few moments.
"I really should stop obsessing over whether or not I did something, and start being angry with him," she muttered in self-consternation, bending over to gather her textbooks back into her arms.
Over the next few days, things between her and Ron became steadily more uncomfortable. Hermione found herself avoiding both Harry and Ron, speaking to Harry only when he approached her. She knew that he hated being caught in the middle, and figured it best to stay out of the way while Ron coped with…well, with whatever he had to cope with.
She spent the long nights awake long after everyone else was sound asleep, contemplating the situation. She wanted desperately to ask Ron if they were still going to Slughorn's party together. Her gut instinct was that they weren't. How they be, after all, when they weren't even speaking to each other? But even though Ron hadn't said more than a few words to her in weeks, he had never explicitly said that the date was off.
The date. Just the word made Hermione's stomach turn. Had it really been only a short while ago that the mere mention of her and Ron going on a date was enough to make her giddy with utter joy? Now the thought of the impending party gave her the same feeling she'd had when they'd been awaiting their O.W.L. results. Her skin became clammy and she couldn't stop her heart from speeding up uncomfortably.
"What am I supposed to do?" she wondered out loud. She'd NEVER been like this before; never gotten so involved with a boy, to the point that anything he said or did gave her such an intense reaction. She was angry at Ron, perhaps more so than she'd ever truly been before. But more than that, she was hurt and confused.
WHY did she have to love the stupid prat? Honestly, there were other boys out there; Viktor Krum had once asked HER to a Ball, for heaven's sake! So why did she spend all her time focused on why Ron Weasley—possibly the most insensitive wart she'd ever met—didn't seem to like her anymore.
But that was a stupid question. She wanted to know why Ron didn't want to speak to her anymore so that she could fix whatever she might have done.
Finally, she threw off the bed covers and climbed out of bed. She wasn't going to get any sleep, the way her mind was turning about. Grabbing Hogwarts: A History, her companion no matter what mess Ron had got her into, she tiptoed out of the dormitory and crept down to the Common Room. She settled herself onto one of the large, fluffy sofas, but left the book unopened on her lap, staring unblinkingly into the fire.
The tears came pouring out, finally. She'd held in the torrent as long as she could while in Harry's company, but now that she was alone…she couldn't hold in the hurt anymore. Her entire body convulsed with sobs. It had never hurt this much before. Nothing Ron had ever said or done before could compare to the knowledge that he didn't appear to love her. Her chest physically hurt, and though she placed a shaking hand over her heart, she knew she couldn't make the pain stop. The tears continued to come and she rolled over to her side, clutching her hands together in a vise. She silently cursed Ron for bringing this upon her; she was Hermione. Hermione never lost control, never let something like love distract her from what was really important. Until now.
Ron heard the sobbing before he'd even made it fully down the stairs. He knew right away that it was Hermione, and he felt a physical ache at knowing that he'd put that hurt there. He wondered for what felt like the hundredth time what the hell he was doing. Purposely going after Lavender Brown to spite Hermione for an incident that had occurred two years ago? Even thinking about it to himself right now, it didn't quite make sense.
Ron shook his head, noting that Hermione's wracking sobs had stopped. She was now staring unblinkingly into the fireplace, hiccupping quietly. "Oh, Ron," he heard her murmur mournfully and his heart almost burst at that sound. His entire being cried out to go over to her and forget the immense hurt that hearing about her and Krum had caused, and take her into his arms and reassure her that she'd done nothing wrong.
But he didn't. Because he was still filled with hurt and anger at her for betraying him, even if the two of them hadn't been together at the time. Still, he couldn't help himself as he walked over to the now sleeping Hermione and crouched down beside her. With a heavy sight he pulled a blanket over her, and lightly brushed her busy hair out of her eyes.
He turned and walked back towards the stairs. "I'm sorry, Hermione. So sorry." And he walked away, preparing for the coming days, when he'd put his plan into action.
A/N: Again, I'd like to apologize for all the internal monologues going on. I just really believe that part of a good Missing Moment involves the reader actually seeing what Ron and Hermione are thinking. It's hard in the books because everything is from Harry's thoughts and his point of view. I also wanted to really give my interpretation of why the Ron/Lavender fiasco happened so quickly. I PROMISE that the next chapter will have more dialogue. We'll be skipping ahead to the Christmas party…and we'll get see how exactly Hermione comes to have McLaggen for a date. Stay tuned! And please, as always, leave a little review!