10 Things I Hate About You
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, plot and other characters obviously belongs to JKR while 10 things I hate about you belongs to whoever he is who created it.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! So here's the 2nd chapter!
Chapter 2
Before Harry could even answer, Ron automatically retched. He never even bothered to look for someplace to do that privately. Upon seeing this, the whole common room winced with disgust as Ron emptied his stomach. Harry, unfortunately, who was standing just beside him got a handful of this. Almost immediately, Hermione went back to her dormitory and went back a few seconds later flipping through a very thick book while running to them, muttering to herself.
"I've got a sobering charm in here. I know I've got it somewhere. I only read it last night…" she muttered, turning page after page quickly. "Ah! Here it is! Ron, wait a second while I practice this charm…" Ron was still retching violently while the other students decided to continue the party in spite of the commotion by the common room entrance. It took Hermione almost 15 minutes to master the charm. Right after she finished performing the charm on Ron and after she cast a cleaning charm on Harry's robes, a familiar voice boomed in the common room screaming, "Ronald Weasley!"
The voice came from the common room fireplace. Harry, Ron and Hermione all ran towards it to find Mrs. Weasley. Harry couldn't make out if her face is red because of the firelight or because of anger. The other students stopped partying once more to see what is happening again.
"Mum? What are you doing in there?" Ron asked with a dreamy voice that was very much like Luna Lovegood's.
"What am I doing in here? I was just about to ask you what are you doing downing 6 bottles of butterbeer at Hogshead earlier?" Mrs. Weasley thundered.
"H-how did you know that?" Ron asked, his ears as red as red as his hair and his dreamy voice suddenly disappearing.
"Mundungus just flooed me to tell me he just saw you enter the pub while he was conducting some business there. Thank heavens Harry found you and brought you back there. And who cast a sobering charm on you? I thought Mundungus told me that you were so drunk when Harry brought you back?"
"I cast that sobering charm, Mrs. Weasley. It was really a good thing that I was reading about that exact charm last night," Hermione replied instantly.
"Thank you, Hermione dear. And you too, Harry. Goodness knows what could've happened to Ron if you and Mundungus weren't around. Ron was slowly retreating towards the still silent crowd, thinking that he could still get away from his mother's outbursts.
"And you young man! I'm still not finished with you! You are not allowed to drink firewhisky until you're at the right age! And you just broke the school rules! You could've been expelled! You could've been attacked outside!" Mrs. Weasley rambled on and on about the dangers of going to Hogsmeade without permission and breaking school rules that the whole common room got tired of the whole thing and started to continue the party when Mrs. Weasley voiced out her punishment to Ron's actions.
"As punishment to your actions, you will not be allowed to date!" she said fiercly.
"What? And how did you know that I'm going to make a move on someone?" Ron replied hotly.
"I'm cleaning your room, remember. And I just happened to come across dozens of crumpled parchment addressed to a certain girl named Luna at the waste bin," Mrs. Weasly replied. Ron froze and if it is possible, his ears became much redder than his hair now.
"You're writing to Luna Lovegood? Why didn't you tell us?" Harry and Hermione said at the same time. The whole common room was quiet now. Others were talking softly from behind them. Ron could hear someone say, "that weird Loony Lovegood?" he didn't bother to answer back because his mother asked another question.
"So, who is this Luna Lovegood girl?"
"She's that weird Ravenclaw girl from my year," Ginny said.
"Don't call her weird! She's just a bit different! And I just attempted to write to her. I didn't send anything!" Ron said angrily.
"Okay! So you, young man, are not allowed to date. Unless…" Mrs. Weasley was thinking of what condition she should make to make his son's punishment much more difficult until she looked at Hermione. 'perfect,' she thought.
"Unless what?" Ron asked impatiently. The Gryffindors are still listening as Ron was being told off by his mother.
"Unless Hermione here dates first," she replied.
"What? But why her of all people?"
"Because I know you will not set her up in order to be able to date and because she is the most responsible among you three. No offense to you, Harry, of course," Hermione beamed with pride at this.
"No offense taken, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied.
"Oh! And Harry, Hermione and Ginny will be looking out for you, will you?" she asked them. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks of worry and looked at Ron. Will he be mad at them? But Mrs. Weasley would be disappointed of them. So, having no choice left, they both said, "Okay."
"Thanks so much dears! Oh and Ronald, your brother wants to speak to you," Mrs. Weasley said icily. Ron muttered a "Bye Mum" and her floating face was quickly replaced by one of the twins' faces. The Gryffindors all greeted him excitedly. Clearly, the incident last year was not easily forgotten along with the fact that they now owned a jokeshop.
"Hey there! Don't forget to visit the Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes joke shop, now located at Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade," with this Fred or George winked at the trio.
"You got another premise? Fred?" Harry asked. Not knowing which twin are they talking to.
"It's George, you know. Yes, our business is really doing great. Mum is actually grateful that we put it up. Anyway, I'm here to talk to Ickle Ronniekins," George said quickly.
"What do you want to talk about now?" Ron asked.
"Well, I heard that you didn't do well in you last Quidditch match earlier so we'd like to offer you a proposition."
"What?" Ron asked curiously.
"We'd like you to be our guinea pig."
"What? Are you going to transfigure me or something?" Ron asked, revolted. Clearly, he hasn't heard of the muggle term.
"No, you dolt. I meant that you could be our subject in our latest product," George explained.
"And what is you latest product?"
"It's called the Invisibility cap. When you wear the cap that I would give to you later, you wouldn't see or hear anyone. They'd be invisible. We want you to try it for your next match and tell us how long the invisibility would last," George said plainly. "So, what do you think about it?"
"Why do you want to help me?" Ron asked suspiciously. He didn't think that any idea that they have would be good.
"Well, for one, we don't want to see our former house beaten up by Slytherin. And for another, you're just the perfect subject because you'll need it. So, what do you think about it" George repeated.
"Okay, just send it over to me," Ron said.
"You'll receive the cap in a few days. We're still putting up finishing touches on it," George said. "And it's Fred by the way. Oh and Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes is now also running in mail order for you students out there. Just send an owl to us with your orders and you'll get it in a few days' time," he called over to the Gryffindors who continued their party after seeing him. After that he disappeared.
"So, Hermione, are you planning to date somebody in here?" Ron asked desperately after he has seen that Fred's head was gone.
"Sorry Ron, but I really have no time for that," Hermione said sympathetically.
"But Hermione! I really want to ask her for the Yule Ball!" Ron exclaimed.
"I'm sorry Ron but I don't really think that I should date someone just because you want me to. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep. We have a Transfiguration quiz on Monday and I really have to study tomorrow," Hermione got up and went to her dormitory.
"I'm going to get some sleep too. You?" Harry asked him.
"Okay." They both got up from where they are sitting, dodged a flying firewhisky bottle thrown by a drunk seventh year and climbed the stairs to their dormitory.
They both dressed up quietly and said goodnight before going to bed. Harry, surprisingly slept immediately while Ron couldn't even sleep. How can he ask Luna out now? The only way that he would be allowed to date again is when Hermione dates first. But his Mum is right. He can't hurt Hermione by setting her up to somebody.
Suddenly, he came up with an idea. He can't really set her up with somebody because he doesn't trust other boys enough. They might hurt Hermione. But what if he set her up with somebody he trusted? Maybe he could date Hermione and he would be assured that she wouldn't be hurt and then he could date Luna. With that in mind, Ron slept peacefully knowing that Harry would of course help him.