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Chapter 41
After the first week of the term, a cadence was found that rushed February into March…March into April…and April into May. The weather was pleasant, plants were flourishing, and summer holiday was nearing. What had happened to the term?
Actually, Ron knew exactly what had happened to it… It had been trampled and stomped on by his teachers. Ron had always heard Hogwart's upperclassmen, particularly Fred and George, complain about their sixth year classes, but Ron had thought them to be exaggerating. Now, however, Ron was one of the complaining upperclassmen…and he was not exaggerating when he grumbled on about his weekly Potions essays, daily Magical Law assignments, complex transfigurations, and difficult Healing spells. Nor was he exaggerating when he complained about his ridiculous final exam study schedule… His final exam study schedule that had been designed by a Miss Hermione Granger.
Ron looked up from his copy of Quidditch Today and glanced at Hermione, who had her nose buried in her Arithmancy textbook. She was flipping through the pages furiously and running her hand through her hair every few seconds with a look of intense worry etched upon her face.
"Hey." Ron said, nudging her knee with his under the wooden table, "Why don't you take a breather? Whitman will be in here any second."
Hermione glanced up at him briefly, wrinkling her nose as she looked at his magazine. "You could be using this time to study, you know? You didn't get to look over the last bit of those Charms notes last night." She said testily.
"My two hours were up!" Ron said defensively. She simply rolled her eyes.
"Whatever." She whispered harshly before looking back down at her book, "The solution to the equation for perfect love is somewhere in chapter thirty-four…"
"I think giving your boyfriend the time of day is a factor." Ron muttered. She actually looked up at him with furrowed brows.
"What?" She asked with a note of panic in her voice. "I don't remember that!"
Ron just stared at her, open mouthed, as she again began her frantic searching through her textbook.
"G'day, mates!" Whitman called as he entered from the back of the classroom. Hermione jumped before hastily shoving her Arithmancy book into her satchel and retrieving her Defense Against the Dark Arts text.
Ron just sighed and leaned back in his chair. This new, distracted Hermione had come to life over the last weekend…and Ron was really beginning to miss his old Hermione. Exams truly put her in a state! Ron had always known this, but not until this term had they been dating whilst she was in one of these states. It was a bit different…and worse…for Ron, as her boyfriend during these times.
In the past, Ron had been able to just ignore Hermione and keep a safe distance from her when exams approached. But they had now been dating for over four months. Four wonderful months of giving, taking, sharing…loving, laughing, and the occasional argument… He couldn't just ignore her for two weeks after four months as her boyfriend. Yet, she was successfully ignoring him…lest she was reprimanding him for not studying enough. And what would ever be enough for this woman!
Hermione had made out her own study schedule in March, and had been sticking to it inflexibly ever since. Fortunately, she had only become edgy the past week or so…and more fortunately still, she hadn't bestowed a study schedule upon Ron until mid-April… However, this was only because Ron's birthday was at the beginning of March. She hadn't postponed the issuing of his study schedule as a birthday treat, but because she had felt it necessary for him to focus his attentions on gaining his Apparition License.
In mid-April, however, Ron had taken his Apparition test. A tester had been coming to Hogwarts from the A.T.C. once a month to distribute tests, and Ron had passed without a problem. But as soon as he had received his license, Hermione had given him his study schedule. Two hours of study per day, six days a week! Finals were not until the beginning of June. For Ron, this meant that one needn't study until the month of May… And not even then did one need to study six days out of the week! But for Hermione, it meant that one only had three whole months to study at the close of February.
The day she had approached him and laid the schedule upon his lap, Ron had known that he and Hermione had stumbled upon the source of their next big argument. It hadn't happened yet…but Ron could feel it brewing.
There was no way the two of them would ever agree on the amount of time one should devote to academics. Hermione felt that if you could be studying then you should be studying. Ron felt that if you could be studying then you could probably be doing a lot of other things too. And Ron had always chosen to do 'the other things' until a month before finals. However, this term, he was actually trying to stick to Hermione's study schedule. This term, she was his girlfriend…and Ron reckoned you were supposed to do whatever your girlfriend asked of you…especially if your girlfriend were Hermione Granger.
In the afternoons they would go to the library for an hour, and at night they would study in the common room for another hour. Even on days with Quidditch practice, Ron would follow up his practice with a quick shower and an hour of study. And this was in addition to the loads of homework thrown at them each week!
Now, however, a week before the final game of the season and two weeks before exams, Ron needed a break from studying. He needed to take this week off to concentrate on Saturday's game. He was Quidditch captain, after all! He had scheduled three practices a week since the second week of the term, but would that be enough? Cho Chang had caught the Snitch when Ravenclaw faced Slytherin and Hufflepuff… Of course, Harry had done the same for Gryffindor…but Harry had also regained the dark circles under his eyes that he had acquired last term. The only difference was this term Ron knew why Harry appeared so worn… And it had nothing to do with "flying" or "walks through the corridors."
Glancing around Hermione at his best mate, Ron saw that Harry had his head down on the wooden table and he was obviously asleep. Ron and Hermione had adopted a new rule: No matter where they were, if Harry fell asleep, let him sleep until it became absolutely necessary to wake him.
Harry was continuing his lessons with Dumbledore and Lupin. With Dumbledore, Harry would study Occlumency and how to control his new power. Apparently Harry was already becoming a more accomplished Occlumens because he could now summon his vision of Ginny whenever he wanted…which he did at least once every day. Neither Ginny nor Hermione were aware of this fact, but Harry had begun reviewing the vision daily in order to memorize every detail of it. What Ginny was wearing, the color of the rocks, the condition of the sky… Ron and Harry had agreed that the girls would only worry about the vision more if they knew of Harry's reviewing of it. Therefore, they had also agreed not to tell either of them.
Harry was also learning more and more about his new ability. He had now discovered that he could actually summon it at will. It was similar to the Patronus Charm. Yet, instead of using happy memories to conjure a creature of light, he used unpleasant thoughts of Ginny to conjure his new power. The more disturbing his thoughts relating to Ginny, the more internal power Harry could gather and the brighter the glow in his eyes. Just as, the more happy one's memory, the more powerful one's Patronus. Now Dumbledore was trying to train Harry to be able to choose whether or not he used his gathered power. If Harry had been able to do this the day he attacked Dean Thomas, he could have let his power lay dormant until his anger faded. Ron had tried to convince Harry to gather his power and drop a suit of armor on Malfoy's greasy, blonde head, but Ron had then received a small punch from Hermione.
With Lupin, Harry continued the study of dueling with silent spells, Magic Bursts, and wandless magic. Whitman and Tonks had even aided Lupin during some of Harry's lessons so that Harry could get a feel for dueling with multiple persons at one time. Harry didn't go into great detail about his lessons, but Ron knew that he was being pushed each week to perform his absolute best. Today was not the first day Harry had fallen asleep during class…
Clap!
All whisperings died off as Whitman brought the class' attention to the front. Ron noticed Whitman glance briefly at Harry, who hadn't awoken with Whitman's loud clap. Whitman then, however, turned on one of his brilliantly white smiles and addressed the students.
"Alright then." He said cheerily, "We're going to continue our target practice, but I've enhanced the targets a bit. Hopefully I'll have youse zonked by the end of class!" Whitman quickly moved to the back of the room and retrieved a large box, where he now kept the small targets they used nearly every class period.
The class had graduated from practicing with the large, blue stationary targets to practicing with smaller moving targets. These targets could be used to practice spell-casting or hand-to-hand combat. Whitman had taught them some basic punches and kicks, which he claimed to have learned in Auror training. Whitman was spending the remainder of the term incorporating both spells and hand-to-hand techniques together in an attempt to train them to recognize when to use spells against an enemy versus when to use physical attacks.
"Let me demonstrate one time." Whitman said, removing about five small targets from the box.
The blue targets, which Whitman threw up into the air, were about the size of Ron's palm. They immediately began swarming around Whitman at a fairly fast rate. They didn't appear to be any different than what they'd been using nearly all term. Yet Whitman was standing in his defensive stance and watching the targets closely.
Then, very suddenly, Whitman let out a grunt as he kicked out with one leg, threw his elbow back behind him, and cast a silent spell all at one time, taking out three separate targets, which each fell to the ground. This was when Ron realized what the enhancement was to the targets, for the remaining two targets began shooting small blue lights at Whitman, who was dodging and blocking. He quickly took these two targets out with a simple punch and a spoken, 'Stupefy.' Everyone in the class was silently staring at him after this performance, except for Harry, who was somehow still dozing.
"Well?" Whitman asked excitedly as he picked up the five dead targets and returned them to the large box.
"Do those blue lights hurt if they hit you?" Parvati asked curiously.
"Who cares?" Seamus stated. "I wanna hav' a go!"
"Hey, Professor, can you take on ten at one time?" Neville asked from the back of the room.
"Hey, no drama kiddos!" Whitman called through a chuckle. "Everyone's going to have a go, but I'm going to start youse off with three each. If you get hit with one of the targets' counterattacks, you'll feel a small shock, but nothing more. So everyone fang it and move your tables against the walls."
No one hesitated to stand and quickly move the tables out of the way. Ron reached over and shook Harry by his shoulder. He woke up with a jerk and looked around in confusion before realizing where he was and standing slowly from his chair. Once the room had been cleared, everyone found an empty spot and Whitman began going around the room, box in hand, handing out targets to each person.
"Hey, Edgar, are these the enhanced targets?" Harry muttered to Whitman as he took his targets from him.
"Yeah, Hazza." Whitman replied, moving next to Hermione, who took her three targets.
"Oh…" Harry began with a confused look, "…I only got three."
Whitman smiled at him and whispered in a voice that Ron had to strain to hear, "Yeah, and what would your classmates think if you cactused twenty at one time?" Ron and Hermione exchanged a quick, wide-eyed glance after this statement.
"Oh…right." Harry muttered before shrugging and throwing his three targets into the air. Whitman then approached Ron with three targets before continuing about the room.
"Have you practiced with these already, Harry?" Hermione asked. She, Ron, and Harry were standing in a triangle with one another. Harry merely nodded as he was in the middle of a pretty hefty yawn.
"Why aren't your targets shooting at you?" She added, watching Harry's rotating targets with great curiosity.
"They wait for you to make the first move." Harry replied in a slightly bored voice.
Ron heard a small yelp from across the room and saw Lavender sucking on her thumb and swatting at one of her targets, which had apparently just shocked her with one of its small discharges. Quite a few people had already begun dueling with their targets, so Ron threw his up into the air as well.
"Don't forget to try silent casting!" Whitman shouted over the growing commotion in the room.
Monday Whitman had begun to encourage silent spell-casting. Although, everyone in the class had tried, only a few had succeeded. Obviously, Ron, Hermione, and Harry had already cast silent spells by this time. But so had Dean, which Ron had forgotten about until he noticed how well he was doing with the silent spells. Then Ron had remembered that Dean used a silent Avada Kedavra on Avery when Avery had attempted to kill him.
Ron glanced up at his moving targets. He wasn't so sure that he could use one hand to cast a spell, the other to punch, and his leg to kick all at once without falling over backward. So, he instead decided to take a different approach. He waited until the there were two targets on either side of him, at which time he shot the target to his left with a silent spell and hit the target to his right with his left hand. As he suspected, the remaining target flew around to his front and shot straight at him. He managed to duck under the shot, however, and then rise up to kick out in front of him. As soon as his foot impacted with the target, it fell to the ground.
Before he could really congratulate himself on his dueling, however, he heard a shrill squeal from across the room. He turned to see a delighted Pansy Parkinson, hanging on Malfoy's arm. Malfoy looked incredibly smug.
"Good onya." Whitman said half-heartedly as he walked toward them, "Is that your first silent spell?"
Malfoy simply nodded with his chin jutting out pompously, "I just imagined the targets to be three enemies…like you instructed." He then glanced over at Ron, Hermione, and Harry. However, Hermione and Harry seemed to be too involved in practicing their dueling to notice.
"Just remember that real enemies can strike back." Whitman said as he followed Malfoy's gaze. Malfoy scowled at Whitman and traced a finger absently down the side of his own neck before turning to glare at Ron again.
Ron turned his back on Malfoy and flashed a hand signal in his direction as he pretended to scratch at the back of his head.
"Ron!"
Ron dropped his hand quickly and turned to see Hermione approaching him with a frown. "I saw that, Mr. Weasley!" She whispered fiercely. "And I think Whitman saw it too."
"Really?" Ron asked with a curious smile, "What did he do?"
Hermione pursed her lips for a moment before responding, "He laughed…but that's not the point. " She said firmly. "Malfoy saw you too, and he's not laughing."
She then turned to go back to her own dueling space, but Ron caught her hand. "Hermione…I think I might be able to better behave myself if you give me a kiss." He said with a smile.
Her face softened as she turned to look up at him again. "After class." She said with a smile, but Ron didn't release her hand.
He knew that as soon as class ended Hermione would rush to lunch, where she would somehow manage to eat with one hand and study with the other. So, Ron brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly before releasing her and giving her a small wink. She blushed slightly and mouthed, 'I love you,' as she returned to her space.
This left Ron with a silly smile on his face for a while, but as he picked his targets back up and threw them into the air to practice again, his smile slowly faded. Malfoy had performed his first silent spell…
Ron's stomach cramped painfully as he remembered the confrontation he and Hermione had with Malfoy in mid-February. What would the outcome of the fight have been if Malfoy could have used silent magic at the time? And what if Hermione hadn't been there to blast Goyle with her first silent spell? The two-hundred some odd pound goon would've definitely won the fight. Ron didn't have an ability like Harry's. He couldn't think of Hermione, and suddenly be able to blast through solid objects and suffocate people. If Ron couldn't stand up to three prats without Hermione's aid, what would he do if faced with Death Eaters? He would fail…and failure was not an option in the issue of Hermione's safety.
Even though Malfoy hadn't so much as looked at Hermione since that Sunday morning on the grounds, Ron would never trust the rodent. Malfoy might now have a three-inch scar on his neck from Ron's Cutting Charm, but Ron was scarred much worse.
He worried about Hermione every single day. After that confrontation, Ron had even decided that it would be best if Hermione did not leave the castle unless accompanied by…well…the whole school. So the only time Ron allowed her to leave was in the event of a Quidditch game. Which, consequentially, was the absolute only thing that had the power to take his mind off of his worries about Hermione. Quidditch… This was one of the main reasons Ron wanted a break from studying. When he fixated on his favorite sport, it took all of his concentration…all of his focus…all of his energy… until he had no room for worries. But as soon as his thoughts strayed from Quidditch, they were filled with Hermione.
After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ron, Hermione, and Harry rushed to lunch where they ate rather quickly. Ron scheduled Quidditch practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The sooner they ate, the sooner they completed their hour of study in the library, and the sooner Ron would be able to get to the Quidditch pitch to warm up.
Once they had reached the library, Ron sat at a table with his sister and Harry. Ron was slouching low in his chair, his feet propped up on the empty chair across from him and his head bent low over a detailed drawing of the Woollongong Shimmy, which was disguised by his Geography of the Magical World textbook. The Shimmy was a high-speed zigzagging maneuver used in Quidditch to throw off opposing Chasers. Could he teach the team this move before the match? The last game of the year was to be played in four days! Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. Ron wished he could ask his sister what she thought of the move, but that was a bit too risky.
Hermione was nearby, sitting at a table by herself, lost in rolls of parchment with Ancient Runes translations upon them. She was scratching away additional annotations, on her already covered notes, with a large quill. Her hair was even bushier than usual, and every few minutes she would gasp or grunt and then begin hastily rummaging through her piles of work. Ron would have sat beside her, but she needed an entire table for her strewn papers. So, he was instead sitting with Harry, who was leaning across the table helping Ginny study for her O.W.L.'s. And…Ron could honestly say that he was a bit jealous.
Why couldn't Hermione be as calm about her exams as his sister? Then Ron might be able to help her study as Harry was helping Ginny. But Ron knew that if he tried to quiz Hermione, it would only end up with her attacking him. He would either not quiz her quickly enough or she wouldn't trust him to check her answers thoroughly with her notes.
Of course, if Hermione caught him studying a Quidditch play as opposed to his Geography, he would be in much worse trouble. Even though this was the first time Ron had used a study hour for something other than schoolwork… he would still be in trouble. But he had just found the Shimmy in Quidditch Today this morning. Chaser A seemed to do most of the complex maneuvering…that should be Ginny. Chaser B would need to be Katie… Ron stuck one finger in his ear and shook his head slightly. He must be going mad. He could actually hear Hermione's disapproving voice in his head… 'Ron…Ron…Ron!' Suddenly, a small hand reached over the top of his textbook and snatched his drawing of the Woollongong Shimmy.
"Ronald!"
Ron's heart jumped into his throat. Sighing heavily, he slowly shut his book and peered over at Hermione, who looked incredibly small yet intimidating behind her mounds of work. She was not wearing a very happy expression. Actually, she looked quite astounded as she stared at the Quidditch drawing held tightly in her hands. Harry and Ginny were now looking from Ron to Hermione to the Quidditch drawing with raised eyebrows.
"The Woollongong Shimmy?" Hermione breathed, slamming the paper back down on the book on Ron's table. "I can not believe you! Is that what you've been doing during our study hours in here? Quidditch?"
"No!" Ron whispered urgently, as he shoved the paper inside his book and closed it shut, "I just found that move this morning in Quidditch Today."
She gave him a disbelieving pout, and Ron stood from his chair and crossed to her table to sit beside her. "Hermione…I have honestly never even thought about Quidditch during our library time…" Ron began calmly, "Until today… But I'm Quidditch captain, and there is a game this Saturday."
"Ron, final exams are in two weeks!" Hermione said aghast. "We are talking about exams for N.E.W.T. level classes!"
"I've been studying for over a month!" Ron exclaimed, earning a glare from Madam Pince, who was seated behind the circulation desk. He gave her an apologetic smile.
"And?" Hermione whispered, as if a month of studying meant nothing. "I have been studying since March, and I am no where near ready."
Ron rolled his eyes at her and leaned back in his seat, "Hermione, you're mental. You could take any one of your exams right now and ace it."
"No I couldn't." She replied evenly, shaking her head back and forth with a look of pure disbelief.
"Yes you could."
"No."
"Yes."
"Ron…no I couldn't."
"Hermione, you could pass the seventh years' exams!"
"No, I couldn't, Ron!"
"Hermione-…"
"Do you two mind?" Ginny hissed suddenly. Ron and Hermione both looked up to see Ginny staring at them with wide eyes while holding up a sheet of her Transfiguration notes.
"Sorry, Ginny." Hermione replied quietly as she stood up from her chair. "We'll take this upstairs."
"We will?" Ron asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach. 'Taking it upstairs' was never a good thing with Hermione unless they were taking a snog upstairs.
Hermione didn't have to answer Ron's question with words. Her pursed lips and squinted eyes were very clear. They were definitely taking this argument upstairs.
Ron stood slowly from his seat, gathered his books from his table and slung his satchel over his shoulder. He then waited for Hermione to collect her abundance of notes and books before following her out of the library and up the staircase to their Tower. He tried to take her satchel from her, but she jerked away from him. Uh oh…Ron thought. Refusing his attempts at chivalry meant that she was really peeved. They didn't speak to one another the entire way to the portrait hole door, where Hermione muttered the password.
There were a few people scattered about the common room, and Ron wished that he could just convince Hermione to play a game of Wizard's Chess with him instead of having a discussion… But the possibility of that happening was almost laughable. Once they reached the boys stairs, Ron took his time with each individual step. The longer he postponed this discussion the better. Although, Hermione didn't seem to want to wait until they got to the sixth year boys' dormitory because she began talking as soon as they reached the stairs.
"Ron, I have been so proud of you all year." Hermione said with her hand upon his arm. Uh oh… Ron thought again. Whenever Hermione threw compliments into the middle of their discussions, he knew she was only luring him into a false sense of security. Then, when he least expected it…SNAP!
"You have done wonderfully in your N.E.W.T. classes..." She continued, "You are Whitman's best student in Defense Against the Dark Arts...You-…"
"What about Harry?" Ron interrupted, looking down at her earnest brown eyes.
"Harry doesn't count." She said simply. "You can't compare yourself to him, Ron. He has been receiving private lessons from Albus Dumbledore and Lupin for a full year. I am talking about you right now. You are Whitman's best student. You've even improved in Transfiguration."
"I have?" Ron asked curiously. Hermione gave him a disbelieving look.
"Yes, Ron. But all of your accomplishments and improvements will be wasted if you fail your exams."
"Hermione, I'm not going to fail my exams." Ron said in slight exasperation. "I've studied more this year than all past years combined. And I promise I'll resume our study schedule after this week, but right now I just need to concentrate on this final match."
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "How can you put Quidditch before your studies? The grades you make in this school will follow you for the rest of your life, Ron. Academics are-…"
Oh great…Ron thought…here goes the 'Academics are…' speech. Ron took a deep breath to prepare for the next hour or so of reprimands as he and Hermione reached his dormitory. However, as Hermione's hand reached for the handle he noticed something that caused him to grab her wrist and pull her back down one step.
"Ron, what in the world are you doing?" She asked, snatching her wrist from him. "I'm only saying all of this because I love you and I'm concerned for your future. Our future…"
"Hermione, I know. It's just that…" Ron began, but then he realized what she'd said. He looked down at her. "Our future?" He repeated. A semblance of a smile showed at the corners of her mouth.
Ron continued, "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say those words… Our future…" He said quietly, using one hand to cup the side of her face.
She leaned into his hand slightly and closed her eyes. "I just know how much you want to be an Auror, and I want that for you, too." She said, before lifting her head from his hand and reaching for the door again. Remembering why he stopped her the first time, Ron grabbed her wrist to stop her once more.
"Ron, wha-…"
"Hermione," Ron began, "We shouldn't go in there right now."
"Why?"
"Don't you see what's on the door handle?"
Hermione looked down at the door handle and then back up at Ron. "A tie?" She asked with an unconcerned shrug.
It was indeed a tie. It was a red and gold Gryffindor tie with a bright green shamrock pin on it. That tie belonged to Seamus.
"Hermione, Seamus' tie is there for a reason." Ron replied as he tried to lead her back down the stairs. She was resisting, as she looked from Ron to the tie.
"I don't understand." She said simply.
"It's a sort of warning sign among Hogwarts males that the owner of the tie is within the dormitory and that they…well…have company." Ron replied. Hermione just continued to look confused for a moment before her eyes got wide.
"Is he…" She began, "I mean…he's…he's actually in there with a girl?"
"Yeah." Ron replied, taking a precautionary move down one step.
"That's disgusting!" Hermione said, "Boys put their ties on the door handles to warn their dorm mates that they are in there with a girl having…having…relations?"
"Relations?" Ron asked with a small smirk, although the look on Hermione's face caused him to clear his throat and lose the smirk.
"Have you done anything to try and stop this?" She prompted.
"What?" Ron asked. He honestly thought he must have just misheard her.
"Have you done anything to try and stop this?" She repeated clearly.
"Hermione, I can't stop people from 'having relations!" He exclaimed, "It's none of my business!"
"But you're a prefect." She stated shortly. "It is your job to make sure the dormitories stay clean. Advocating an unwritten code that announces when two people are having sex…" She whispered this last word before continuing, "…is just unacceptable."
"I'm not advocating it…" Ron began defensively, "I'm just ignoring it."
"Ron!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "You can't just-…"
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed louder than intended. She looked a bit taken aback, so he softened his voice as he continued. "Hermione, I am sorry that I'm not the perfect student or the perfect prefect. You are those things…not me. And I'm also sorry that I'm going to have to say no to you. No, I will not continue the study schedule this week. I need Quidditch. I need this break. And no, I will not try and stop guys from leaving ties on the doors as a code…because, Hermione, guys like Seamus will do it with or without the ties. And quite frankly, I'd rather be forewarned."
Ron watched as Hermione's mouth went from pursed to gaping in one nanosecond. She then abruptly brushed passed him to descend the stairs. He tried to grab for her, but only succeeded in stumbling down a few steps.
"Hermione…" He called as he followed after her. She ignored him, however, and marched straight into the common room and sat down in an empty armchair in front of the fireplace. She then began rummaging through her satchel.
Ron sat down across from her in another armchair, and watched as she removed a textbook, opened it, closed it, returned it to her satchel, removed it once more, and then again returned it to her satchel before standing up.
Harry and Ginny entered the common room at this time and slowly made their way toward a couch near Ron and Hermione. They were both casting slightly curious glances at them.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked with a sigh as she slung her satchel over her shoulder. He stood from his chair and approached her.
She looked up at him with her jaw squared. "I am going to finish my studies in my dormitory. I won't be able to concentrate in here."
"Meaning you don't want to be around me because you're angry with me." Ron muttered edgily. She squinted up at him for a brief moment before turning for the girls' stairwell.
"Hermione, can we not talk about this?" He asked, taking a few steps toward her and successfully grabbing her arm.
"I don't want to talk right now Ron." She said quietly. "I'm tired and I'd like to take a nap."
"I thought you were going to study." Ron replied smartly. She blushed slightly before jerking her arm away from him and stalking up the stairs.
"Hermione!" He shouted up the stairwell, but she didn't respond.
He slammed his hand into the wall in frustration, but he only did this once because it hurt quite a lot and it got him a few strange stares from his fellow Gryffindors. Two of the strange stares actually came from Harry and Ginny.
"Ginny, don't say anything." Ron said harshly. He could tell by her expression that she had an opinion on the matter at hand and he was not in the mood to hear her tell him that he was an ignorant prat that needed to apologize for doing nothing wrong.
"I was just going to say that I'm on your side." Ginny said calmly, "Hermione needs to give you a break. She's just being too…" Ginny looked up to the ceiling as she searched for the appropriate word.
"Hermione?" Ron offered.
"What?" Ginny asked.
"She's being too Hermione." Ron said as he slouched back down in an armchair.
"Well…yeah." Ginny stated with a sigh.
"Just don't take anything personal, mate." Harry said as he stretched his legs out in front of him and yawned, putting one arm around Ginny. "She's always like this at the end of May. Everything will be back to normal between you two after exams."
"Yeah." Ron grumbled with a shrug. "But I don't want to wait two weeks."
"Well, what else can you do?" Ginny said.
Ron didn't respond for a moment. Then reaching into his pocket, he retrieved his tiny square mirror. "Engorgio." He muttered quietly. As the twin mirror enlarged to its original size, Ron said, "Hermione." The mirror immediately began to glow with a blue tint.
At first, all Ron saw was blackness once his own reflection disappeared, but then he saw some movement and heard a soft voice say, "Engorgio." Then two brown eyes looked into the mirror, but not into Ron's eyes.
"Hermione, please come and talk to me." Ron whispered into the mirror. She wouldn't look him in the eye, but she appeared to be mulling over his request.
"Ron, I really can't right now." She said softly. "I'm sorry, but I need to study, and I can't be in the same room with you right now without thinking about…about…"
"About me not saying anything to Seamus? About me not studying twenty-four seven? What?" Ron asked impatiently. Apparently a little too impatiently. Hermione's expression turned fairly cold.
"Goodnight, Ronald." She said shortly before she turned the mirror away from her and Ron was again looking into blackness.
"Hermione?" He asked in exasperation. Looking up at Harry and Ginny, he saw that they were both looking down at a Quidditch magazine of Ginny's, pretending to read; yet their eyes were not moving.
"I can not believe her!" Ron exclaimed as he shrunk his mirror once more and shoved it into his pocket. They each looked up, but didn't respond. This irrational side of Hermione was not necessarily new, but Ron had never experienced in this way. He would have to talk to her before the night was over… This would not fly…
"Come on…" Ginny finally said, standing up from the sofa, "Let's go to practice early…I want to try that shimmy."
Ron sighed heavily, but nodded in concurrence. After practice…Ron thought…I'll give Hermione some time, but then she's going to talk…
Hermione was sitting on her bed with her back against the headboard. The curtains were closed tightly to shield her quirky antics from her dorm mates' view. Parvati and Lavender were sitting in two armchairs discussing So-and-so's new haircut and Such-and-such's new boyfriend. Hermione, on the other hand, was tuning them out as she faced a major dilemma. She had two objects lying atop the covers in front of her, which had begun causing her great anguish the last hour or so. Her Ancient Runes textbook…and her small, silver mirror…
She needed to study. She had to study. Exams were in two weeks, and she was going to fail for sure. But how could she study when she couldn't stop thinking about Ron Weasley? She should call him on her mirror. She'd been up in her room all evening. Surely he was back from Quidditch practice. It had to be nearing ten o'clock. She should call him and consent to discussing their disagreement. But how could she discuss their disagreement when she couldn't stop thinking about studying?
"Okay…" Hermione whispered to herself. She took a deep breath, as she looked form her textbook to her mirror. "I…am…going…to…to…call him." She hastily grabbed the mirror and looked into it.
After another breath, she opened her mouth to utter his name, "R…R…Ridiculous!" She muttered, throwing the mirror back down beside her book.
I'm ridiculous! She thought, placing her head in her hands. Poor Ron… He's been studying much more than he used to without much complaint other than an occasional sigh or groan. And I can't even talk to him. What if he fell off his broom and died! My last words to him would be an angry 'Goodnight, Ronald.' What is the matter with me? Why do I always get this way? My boggart used to be McGonagall showing me a failing grade for goodness sakes! I'm a basket case.
"No, you're not." Hermione whispered as she lifted her head from her hands. "He is."
She began nodding absently as she reminded herself that she was simply a devoted student. There was nothing wrong with wanting to prepare for exams three to four months in advance! But there was something wrong with allowing your dorm mates to behave like wild animals! If she found out that one of her dorm mates were doing that in her dormitory…they would definitely get an earful. Of course, Hermione and Ron snogged in his bed…but that was entirely different. She would never even consider consummating their relationship in Gryffindor Tower! How utterly disgusting… And Ron just blatantly said, 'no!' He wasn't even going to consider saying anything to Seamus…
Not only was there nothing wrong with Hermione's own exam preparations, but there was also nothing wrong with wanting her boyfriend to do his best on his exams, as well! She really wasn't asking much. Two hours a day and one full day off each week! Twenty-four seven? Please! Hermione scoffed and shook her head as she reached for her textbook.
Opening it to the chapter that she was currently studying in class, Hermione began reading. She could do this…she could study without thinking about Ron.
"Hermione?"
Hermione gasped as she looked down at the small, silver mirror, out of which a damp-haired redhead was peering. Sighing heavily, she closed her book and set it down beside her. As she picked up the mirror to peer into his attractively stern eyes, she noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt.
"Hi." She said shortly.
"Hermione, come down to the common room and talk to me." He said in a soft voice, "I checked after I got out of the shower, and there's no one down there."
"Will you talk to Seamus about his extracurricular activities?" Hermione asked haughtily.
"Is that an ultimatum?" Ron asked disbelievingly. Hermione felt herself blushing, but she didn't respond.
Ron rolled his eyes, and muttered, "You are being ridiculous, Hermione," Through slightly gritted teeth.
"Ridiculous?" Hermione repeated as her heart rate began to quicken in anger. Her calling herself 'ridiculous' was one thing…but hearing it from Ron?
"Yes, ridiculous." Ron began, "Now come downstairs." He ordered.
"I will not!" Hermione exclaimed, not caring whether or not Lavender or Parvati overheard. "You can't order me to do anything!"
"Well, I tried being nice, Hermione, and you gave me a bloody ultimatum!" He said sternly. "And I told you no earlier. I'm not saying anything to Seamus..."
Hermione just glared into her mirror for a moment as she and Ron had a stare-off. When she saw his mouth open slightly, she closed her eyes and turned the mirror facedown on the bed. She heard a muffled, 'damn it,' but then the faint buzzing sound ceased. She picked up the mirror and actually felt an ache in her chest when she saw her own reflection.
As she placed the mirror back down and picked up her textbook, however, she actually began to feel strangely calm. Ron was probably already in his bed now, and would be asleep shortly. And…after he'd slept on this little spat, Hermione knew that he would see everything her way. He would see that reprimanding Seamus' behavior fell under his duties as prefect, and he would see that studying for exams was much more important than Quidditch. And in the meantime, she could study. If she started now, she could get a good two hours in before she needed to turn in for the night. Settling back against her headboard, Hermione flipped open her book.
Tap, tap, tap!
Hermione heard her dorm mates gasp, and she sat up a bit straighter. "Parvati?" Hermione called.
Tap, tap, tap!
There was that tapping noise again. It sounded as though it were coming from the window. "Hermione?" Parvati called in a strange breathy voice. "It's Ron."
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Pigwidgeon? Ron had actually resorted to sending her a letter? He was really not going to give up!
"Oh, good grief!" Hermione exclaimed, tossing her book down on her bed. "Let him in." She called blandly.
"Um…okay." Parvati said in that same strange voice. Hermione then heard the pattering of feet and the window creaking open, quickly followed by a loud thud and a whistle.
"Hermione Jane!"
Hermione's heart dropped into her stomach. That was not the sound of a small, twittering owl…and the heavy footsteps she heard were not the sounds of tiny, fluttering wings.
"You have armchairs in here?" Ron asked in surprise, "I mean…never mind… which bed is hers?" She heard him mutter. There was no audible answer, but Hermione heard the footsteps grow closer until they stopped directly outside her curtains.
"Are you clothed?"
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but a small squeak was the only sound she could make. Suddenly, the curtains flew open and she was staring up into Ron's glaring face. She wouldn't have been surprised if his eyes had begun glowing blue. He was so intimidating; in fact, all she could do was stare up at him with wide eyes as she pulled her knees into her chest. He was wearing the red Muggle gym shorts she'd gotten him for his birthday, but he wasn't wearing the matching shirt. He was shirtless and the tops of his ice-blue boxers were visible. She now understood what the whistle was for.
"You won't talk to me in the common room. You won't talk to me through our mirrors. So guess what? You're going to talk to me right here." He said firmly, crossing his arms in front of him.
Hermione looked from Ron to her dorm mates, whom were both staring at Ron with wide eyes and opened mouths. Actually, Lavender and Parvati's expressions probably weren't much different than her own.
As dim-witted as the words in Hermione's head sounded, she couldn't prevent them from spilling from her mouth, "Are you mad at me?" She asked in a small voice.
"Yes." He stated in a somewhat calmer tone. "I'm angry with you because you're angry with me, and I have done nothing wrong."
"But, Ron…" Hermione began, but he interrupted.
"Hermione, do you remember that day in the hospital last term when you made me promise to never refuse to talk to you about anything?"
Hermione nodded slowly.
"Well," Ron continued, "I think you should keep that promise too. I've tried my hardest to be good enough for you, Hermione, and I know that I fall short. But that's because no one could ever be good enough for you. You're as close to perfect as…as anyone or anything. But as perfect as you are, I think you're wrong for not talking to me about this." He finished with a deeply serious look upon his face.
Hermione was stunned into silence, but she was apparently the only one. Lavender and Parvati both had something to say.
"Aww…" Lavender began, looking up at Ron with an astonished stare, "That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard in my life!"
"I have never heard of a guy who would fly through a window just to talk!" Parvati added with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Ron turned around to look at Hermione's dorm mates, and when he returned his gaze to Hermione, she saw that his face had flushed a deep scarlet. He looked as if he'd just remembered that they had a small audience. Taking a step forward, he kneeled down beside Hermione's bed and motioned for her to come to him. Without delay, Hermione scooted to the edge of the bed, letting her legs drape over the side. Ron leaned his chest against her legs and took both of her hands in his.
"Will you talk to me?" He whispered pleadingly. Hermione nodded and made to stand from the bed.
"You two can stay in here!" Lavender said quickly. "Hermione, we don't even care if he stays the night. I promise we won't say anything to anyone!" Parvati was nodding fervently in agreement.
Hermione glanced down at Ron, who shrugged. "Okay." Hermione replied. Lavender smiled dreamily as she crossed to the window, which she pulled shut. She then picked Ron's broom up from the floor and leaned it against the wall.
Scooting back against her headboard, Hermione grabbed her book and mirror and placed them on her bedside cabinet. Ron removed his shoes and sat down across from her on the bed. He then waved his wand around at the curtains, which closed, leaving them in a private haven. Hermione muttered an Imperturbable Charm on the curtains so that they wouldn't have to whisper, and she then simply sat still, her gaze upon her fidgeting legs.
"Nice shirt." Ron said softly.
Hermione looked up to see him looking at her. He wasn't exactly smiling, but his expression was no longer stern. She was wearing one of his Chuddly Cannons t-shirts.
"Oh…" She began with an apologetic smile, "I meant to tell you…I borrowed this a couple of days ago."
"I thought to borrow something you needed permission." He said casually.
"Well, I guess I stole it then." She replied. She saw the corner of his mouth twitch a bit, but he quickly regained control as his face began returning to that rather stern look.
"Ron, I know you're angry with me, but can you just hug me before we start discussing?" Hermione asked quickly, as she began to scoot toward him.
"No." He said firmly. Hermione's heart clamped at his denial of her, but then he continued in a soft voice, "Hermione, I'll be honest with you. I'd like nothing more than to hold you right now, but if I do that, then I'll probably just agree to anything you ask of me. And…well, I really want to have my say."
Hermione remained silent as she scooted back up against the headboard and nodded for him to continue.
"Do you think Seamus should be expelled for having sex in the dorms?" He asked calmly.
"No." Hermione replied in slight confusion. "Ron, I'm not asking you to-…"
"Hermione…what you're asking me to do would lead to his expulsion." Ron said evenly, "Seamus would not listen to me. I guarantee you, he would just ignore anything I ordered him to do. So, I would then have to go to go to the head of our house. Because, if I didn't enforce my own rules, my prefect badge wouldn't mean anything, would it? And do you know what McGonagall would do to him?"
"...Expel him..." Hermione replied quietly. She was beginning to feel about an inch tall.
"Yes." Ron said with a nod. "Now, sometimes I can't stand Seamus, and I don't agree with what he's doing…but then again, if you took me into my dormitory and asked me to make love to you, what do you think I would say?"
Hermione felt her face grow warm and her mouth go dry. "I...I'm not sure..." She managed to say in a slight croak.
He gazed at her a moment before giving a barely detectable nod and looking down at his hands. "Well, I couldn't say no…" He muttered. Suddenly having relations in Gryffindor Tower didn't seem utterly disgusting anymore…
After a short pause, Hermione cleared her throat in an attempt to find her voice. "Can we finish talking so I can get my hug?" Hermione asked, reaching forward to run her fingers over his arm.
Ron looked up from his hands with a small smile before moving to sit beside her. In one swift movement he pulled her into his lap and hugged her tightly as he leaned against the headboard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder.
"Neville was asleep when we got back from Quidditch practice," Ron began softly, resting his head upon hers. "But he'd left me and Harry a sample of his potion. There was a small vile on each of our bedside cabinets with a note saying that he had finally perfected the Memory Potion and gotten a patent for it."
"A patent? That's great." Hermione said with genuine interest, although she wasn't sure where this comment had come from. She raised her head and looked at Ron as he continued.
"I just wanted you to know that I…I…" He swallowed rather hard and cleared his throat, "I'm still saying no to you, Hermione…I'm taking a break from studying this week. But I think that potion might help me study twice as hard next week."
Hermione couldn't contain a smile. "You're so adorable." Hermione said, kissing him gently on his freckled cheek.
"Why?"
"You really hate refusing me anything, don't you?"
"Yes, I do." Ron replied matter-of-factly as he squeezed her a bit tighter.
Hermione's smile slowly faded as she began to think on her recent foul treatment of Ron. "Ron," She began, rubbing her fingers along his collarbone, "I can't remember every awful thing I've said to you over the past few days, but I take it all back. It really has nothing to do with you. Around this time of year I just start freaking out, you know? I know that I have to study or else I'll fail everything. But everything feels like it's closing in around me, and I can't seem to focus even though focusing is the most important part of studying. I love reading and learning new things…but this time of year, those things become completely scary for me. And then I end up driving everyone I love away from me."
Hermione was surprised to hear him chuckle softly, "Does it look like you've driven me away?" He asked while patting her gently on her bum.
"Well, maybe I haven't driven you away, but I truly am sorry for being so overly-demanding." Hermione stated before smiling mischievously, "Although, I do have one more demand…"
"Which is?" Ron asked with one raised eyebrow.
"Spend the night with me?"
Ron answered by pulling her covers back and climbing beneath them. Hermione quickly joined him between the cool sheets, laying atop his chest and entwining her legs with his.
Hermione kissed him on his earlobe before breathing in his earthy scent. "Ron?" She whispered in his ear.
"Hmm?" He muttered low inresponse, sending chills down her back.
"You think I'm perfect," Hermione began, "…But in truth…you are."
Ron breathed heavily after this statement, and thanked her with a deep kiss. After this kiss, Hermione nuzzled as close to him as possible, closed her eyes, and made a silent promise to herself. If ever Ron asked her to talk with him, no matter what the circumstance, she would not refuse him. As she repeated this promise to herself, she felt Ron tucking the covers around them both. It wasn't long after this that Hermione began to breath deeply, kissing Ron's chest lightly at sporadic moments before drifting off to sleep.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh my goodness. This is the longest I've gone without posting. But, I have some fairly good news. I'm completely moved into my apartment...I have a much clearer outline for chapter 42 than I had for this filler chapter...and tomorrow is a national holiday! Whoop-E for no school! I do have some assignments to finish, but I hope to be able to write a lot too...Thanks so much for everyone's support and patience...and of course for the readers and reviewers!