Bonding 2
Ron asks Hermione out
Disclaimer:
Everything you recognize belongs to the great J.K. Rowling. Not me.
-Sniffs-
A/N: 40 reviews! –pulls hair out and starts screaming- This is the most I've ever gotten for one chapter! I'm so happy! Thank you!
Thank you for all the positive feedback! Hopefully my fic will grow into something that I can be proud of ;; I still cringe when I re-read this chap, but I put it out all the same.
And I present to you the story…
XxX
Hermione awoke to the hustle and bustle she assumed was Madam Pomfrey. The kindly healer had informed her that it was 7:00 PM, and nearly time for dinner.
A loud, protesting rumble escaped from her stomach and Hermione realized just how hungry she really was.
After being discharged, she headed quickly towards the Gryffindor common room. She really needed a change of clothes!
Hermione's mood darkened considerably when she recalled what had made her faint in the first place. She knew there was no way she could refuse Dumbledore after all he had done for her and her friends.
But why did it have to be Malfoy? If only the most annoying person on the face of earth! They would have to actually ACT out being in love, with the entire touchy-feely thing going on.
Hermione couldn't repress an involuntary shudder.
Having reached the Portrait that was the entrance to the common room, Hermione muttered the password, 'green checkers,' and clambered not quite gracefully out of the corridor.
XxX
'C'mon mate you can do it,' Harry said pleasantly.
'Yeah, not all of us are going to wait forever you know,' Dean piped up from across the table, but was immediately repelled by a warning glare from Harry.
'Ron…?' Harry nudged the immobile boy sitting beside him. Ron was jerked of his reverie by the next few words- 'Hermione's here.'
And indeed she was. Ron took one glance at her skin tight, curve hugging jeans and immediately regretted it as he went beetroot red.
Hermione was seemingly unaware of it as she tossed her hair back in a very feminine way, and greeted Harry and Ron by a hug.
'Hey honey!' She turned to Ron. 'How've you been?'
'Where were you? We were worried sick when you didn't turn up to Potions. Snape obviously was no help at all,' Harry spat out the last few words.
'Oh I was at the hospital wing,' Hermione said dismissively.
Ron looked alarmed. 'Are you ok? What happened? It's ok if you don't want to tell me…'
Hermione smiled gratefully at Ron.
Dean looked on with obvious jealously. Oh that girl had no idea how much charm she possessed.
But, Ron got first dibs on her as usual. Everyone except Hermione had known that he had a colossal crush on her since 4th year. Dean respectfully stepped down, and waited for him to make a move that had taken him almost 3 years.
'So…' Harry turned his eyes meaningly from Ron to Hermione.
Neville coughed not quite subtly and kicked Ron from under the table.
'OW! What was th-' Ron started, but was swiftly silenced by a frantic nudge from Harry.
Hermione looked on with obvious amusement. Deciding it was time enough to intervene, she spoke up.
'Ron, would you mind telling me what's going on?'
Ron, if it were possible, flushed a deeper shade of red. 'Uhh, erm...' He stuttered under the now piercing gaze of Hermione.
Harry, Neville and Dean also combined their gazes into one as they bored a hole into poor Ron.
For the second time that day Ronald Weasley felt like he was a wilting flower under the microscope.
'Wouldyouliketogooutwithme,' He finally mumbled in a hoarse voice.
Hermione's heart stopped. Did he just say what she thought he did?
'Ron mate, you're going to have to speak up.' Harry provided helpfully.
This seemed to be the last straw for Ron. Meeting Hermione's eyes for the first time that evening, he said loudly and clearly, 'Would you like to go out with me Hermione.'
The look in her shocked eyes was enough for Ron. Thinking that he might lose her if he didn't act now, he grabbed her around the waist and prepared to give her the time of her life.
His lips met hers, and the shocked onlookers could only gape. However Ron had the kissing capability of a slobbering dog, and Hermione was definitely not enjoying herself.
With his tongue stuck down her throat, Hermione tried valiantly to free herself from his vice-like grip. It was almost useless for Hermione to struggle.
But with a last burst of strength, she peeled herself away from Ron, panting. Without pausing to grab her things, she sped towards her dormitory.
XxX
'Drakie-poooo…' A voice floated down the dungeons into the Slytherin common room. Moments later a peroxide blonde head peered through the entrance, green eyes glittering as they searched for a victim.
'Aha!' Pansy's eyes sought out Blaise Zabini sitting by the toasty elf-made fire. 'Have you seen my Drakie-poo anywhere Blaise?'
'I don't know…' Blaise trailed off as he looked at Pansy's very slutty, modified school robes. 'Oh I think he's in his room.'
'Thanks,' she said sweetly as she took off to where she knew Draco's room was.
Without bothering to knock, she kicked the door open and immediately sat down on Draco's laps. 'Have you missed me, Drakie-poo?'
Draco looked startled and immediately responded, 'What are you doing Pansy? Get off me!'
She pouted in what she thought was a sexy way and grudgingly sat down beside him, but not before placing her hand meaningly on his lap.
'You wouldn't believe what's just happened in the Great Hall, Drakie-poo,' Pansy started to say.
'Would you stop calling me that? Draco is fine. Drakie-poo is NOT fine.' He interrupted menacingly, cold grey eyes flashing.
'Oh all right, Drakie.' Pansy relented, 'But don't you want to know what just happened? It's been the topic of discussion ever since dinner!'
Draco raised an eyebrow of apprehension. In fact, he wan't that interested at all. Pansy seemed to have not noticed as she rambled on. 'Ron and Hermione are like, a couple now! Everyone saw them making out at dinner… It was like, the most disgusting sight ever! They really need to learn how to kiss properly…'
Pansy gave Draco a puzzled look as he suddenly seemed to emit a very dangerous aura. 'Drakie-poo, are you all right?' she asked with a voice laced with concern, temporarily forgetting the fact he just asked her not to call him that.
'Here, maybe this will help you relax- My patented Pansy-Massage! I'll give you my best top quality massage. Anything for my little Drakie-poo.'
Draco seemed to not have heard her. Shaking her arm from his leg, he strode briskly out the door ignoring Pansy's cries of 'Wait, wait for me Drakie-poo!'
XxX
After checking that Ron and the rest of the Golden Trio was not still in the Great Hall (it came as a big surprise to Draco, he had always assumed Ron was an egoistic pig who loved food to obliviation), Draco strode extremely briskly towards the Gryffindor Portrait hole.
After all, he was a head prefect and knew where each of the common rooms were located.
Ignoring the frightened glances the occasional first- and second- years sent his way, he though of nothing else except getting to his destination.
The Fat Lady that guarded the entrance looked upon Draco with suspicion. Luckily, he had paused long enough to wheedle the password out of a terrified first- year Gryffindor.
'Green checkers,' Draco said dismissively to the Fat Lady. Despite her not trusting him, she grudgingly let him pass, for he did know the password.
'Young people these days can't keep anything to themselves,' she muttered as he clambered into the common room.
The room was empty, save for a couple of absorbed third- years playing wizard chess. One look at the expression on his face sent them looking back down onto the chessboard immediately.
Draco immediately took in the gold and brown tones the entire room seemed to be based upon. How them Gryffindors could live in a room like this, he will never know. Draco always preferred the cooler, blue and silver tones of his very own Slytherin common room.
As Draco stood there, he finally absorbed the fact that he had no idea why he was here. It was purely instinct that made him want to beat up Ron for kissing his fiancée. He shouldn't really have thought that way, but it was so in the moment for Draco that he almost lost his cool.
Well obviously she had not told anyone about the engagement yet, for obvious reasons.
But since Draco couldn't see the Weasel anywhere, he resigned himself to looking for Hermione, since she probably would be in her room.
Walking back to the common room that he shared with her, his thoughts ran into each other and were in a most muddled mess. This would definitely complicate things, if Pansy has already heard about it.
Everyone would assume that Hermione was going out with that Weasel, and it would be extra hard to convince anybody that they were engaged to each other.
Dumbledore had clearly said to him, shortly after Hermione fainted, that it would be good if word of the engagement got around. The riddle can only be solved if the couple, after they have joined blood, can and will focus both their energies into the horcrux to reveal it.
Destroying the horcrux would be another matter, but Dumbledore had assured him he need only put his skills towards finding it before worrying about how to get rid of it.
If the couple's relationship is widely known, it will also be the key to solving inter-house relations. Draco had disbelievingly thought, that compared to finding the last horcrux, it was a trivial matter. But Dumbledore had said it mattered, and it was his final word after all.
Draco was so deep in thought he hadn't noticed the knight's armour until he had collided with it, sending it clattering loudly onto the floor. He swore loudly, and if it weren't embarrassing enough, Peeves had had the luck to witness it.
'Oooh Malfoy boy is loooooooovesick,' he chanted as he zoomed about, occasionally giving Draco the fingers.
'Shut your mouth Peeves, if you know what's good for you.' Draco warned.
''Oooh, Malfoy Malfoy loooooooovesick,' Peeves continued to float just out of his reach.
Draco gave Peeves a look of utter contempt, and quickly cleaned up the mess. Ignoring Peeves' continued jeers of 'Oooh, Malfoy Malfoy loooooooosick,' he stood up and quickly muttered a spell that shut Peeves up for good. The poltergeist glared defiantly as he zoomed away, gum cementing his jaws together.
Now, didn't he have a place to be?
XxX
Another thundering headache plagued Hermione as she attempted to concentrate on the task at hand. Ron had asked her out. Hermione never known he had felt that way, after all he was just a good friend to her, and just that.
What she also had to take in account is that she was now not single. Hermione was now engaged to the Ferret, whether she like it or not, and had to figure out the nicest possible way to break it to Ron.
As Hermione laid sprawled on her very reassuring bed, she weighed out each possibility.
Everyone probably knew something was up, considering the way she unconsciously stormed out on Ron just before. It presented a problem in its own, as Hermione really didn't know, nor want to explain why she had done so.
Even then, everybody would expect her to accept Ron's proposal. Hermione did think he was a nice guy, as such was her nature, but it was in a very sisterly brotherly way.
Years ago Hermione had briefly considered the possibility of them being a couple, but being the sensible person she was, she pushed away the incredulous notion to a cranny in the back of her mind. After all, she had homework to complete and there was no way Hermione Granger would settle for a 9 out of 10 on a piece of homework.
She had no choice but to face everyone tomorrow. But in the meantime, Hermione fervently wished that her mind would concoct up some reasonable excuse to use as a shield. No doubt her kissing match with Ron had already spread through the entire school.
With a groan, her head fell back to her pillow. However before she could truly relax a very loud crack from outside her door told her that the Head Boy was back.
A feeling of dread spread through her body as she suddenly realized she hadn't thought of the consequences with Malfoy.
What was more, as he started hammering on her door, was that she was dressed in a very revealing fashion. It was her favourite PJs, and though they were warm, it covered very little with a thin silky fabric.
Ah well- she wasn't going to risk changing now. It was better for her to be caught in this than nothing at all.
Before she had time to react, Malfoy had broken through the various, rather weak locking charms on the door and strode into the room with an ominous expression on his face.
'What were you thinking,' He hissed at Hermione. 'Do you know how much this is going to complicate matters for me?'
She boldly started back, and retorted in a venomous tone seemingly reserved just for him. 'Don't make me mad. Today I was told I had to be engaged to you, YOU of all people! Ron asked me out! He kissed me for Merlin's sake! Everyone in the school knows! And now you barge, uninvited into my room and speak to me in that tone!'
Her hand inched towards her wand as she finished hysterically.
Malfoy looked unmistakably unnerved, and Hermione savoured the expression on his face. He recovered quickly however.
'I don't suggest you even try to hex me, my dear.' Malfoy added sardonically, 'It wouldn't do much for the inter-house relations your precious Dumbledore is so optimistic about.'
Hermione opened her mouth to retort when she caught him eyeing her body appreciatively. The glint in his eyes was more than enough for Hermione to snap completely.
Grabbing her Hogwarts: A History: Revised Edition with Bonus Features, she lobbed it at Malfoy's head, all the while yelling, 'OUT! OUT YOU HEAR ME!'
Although easily ducking the book, Malfoy took the hint and returned to his room to seek refuge.
XxX
A/N: I branched out no less than half a dozen times on this chapter… my most re-written one to date. lol
As always, review please! I was so very happy with the ones I've gotten! When I lose inspiration I go and re-read the awesome reviews I have gotten and I feel awesome too!
