Chapter 19
Ron finished reading and looked helplessly towards Hermione. Just like the old days, she thought. It wasn't a bad feeling. She had to admit she even kind of enjoyed it – Ron wasn't the kind of boss that'd take the control in his hands and hear no opinions of others. Okay so she liked it a lot. She couldn't help it – every time Ron even as glanced in her direction little shivers made their way down her spine. It was completely unprofessional, irresponsible and nevertheless awful thing to be feeling at a time like this, but she liked it. It wasn't right! She was supposed to be worried about Harry, worried about his well-being and not think about Ron's lips on hers… But she did. Constantly. Ever since breakfast. To be exact she had been thinking about him all night long.
What was it that they had? Ron was flirting with her, no doubt about that, but that was just the way Ron worked. She had put up with it ever since their fifth year. Back at school, girls had almost been throwing themselves at him! Ron this and Ron that! It seemed as if they liked the way he said Bloody hell! and cursed in other ways she would rather not name. He did take advantage of it and the girls learned their lesson, but along came new and even prettier. He was the kind of guy mothers used to warn you about: That boy is nothing but trouble! (A/N: Imagine that said in a motherly way, voice resembling to nagging! Wow, that had an effect! "Nice" memories just came flooding back!)
Every year (not to mention always near their exams) the same fiasco repeated itself: They would suspect, investigate, get themselves in a whole lot of trouble and win a bunch of points for Gryffindor. She had of course been happy that Gryffindor won and everything, but the way otherwise perfectly normal girls just hanged to Ron's neck for the whole ride back to Kings Cross at the end of the year, quite frankly, pissed her off! There are limitations to showing affection towards one another in public and snogging in front of your friends is way off those limits! Well, It wasn't exactly snogging, she had to admit, just hugging, but still it pissed her off!
You know why… a little voice in the back of her head was saying.
No! It isn't the way you think it is! Her common sense argued. I do not like Ron! We are friends! That is as far as it goes!
Then what was that all about last night? Friends don't just snog in the middle of the hallway, you know…
He was just... just…whispering in my mouth?
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"We have to do something, but what?" He looked straight at Hermione, who was having a hard time focusing her thoughts. "We could of course cast the Fidelius on Harry and he'd be safe. You could be the secret keeper. But then again, Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, the famous seeker for England's National Quiddich Team can't just disappear off the face of the earth! And even if he did disappear and no major search parties were sent out and the magical community accepted it…after a few…hundred years, we'd still have a maniac on the loose. What does this guy want, anyway? Harry to disappear from the magical community? That just can't be done! Where'd he go? Live with Dudley?" He pulled his hand through his hair and stood up, standing by the fire.
"I don't think Dudley'd be too happy with that. " Hermione said thoughtfully, her mind still preoccupied with the thoughts of the previous night.
Ron let out a small chuckle. "Yes, I suppose you're right. He has never told us what he wants. Okay, that corpse in a coffin stuff seemed pretty convincing at the time, but if he can already get in then why wouldn't he just go and finish Harry off? No. He's playing with us. It's not Harry's corpse in a coffin he wants if you ask me. It has got to be something else." He turned towards the table and searched through the piles of paper that were still unorganised after the Untouchable had been in to pay them a visit.
"Desperate measures. Harry's house has been unapparateble ever since I arrived so that's taken care of. I'll cut him off the Floo network as soon as possible. That leaves only two ways to get in and that's the muggle way and the infamous Portkey. Several locking spells in different order should do the trick on the doors and windows. If our "friend" tries to guess 'em, it'll take him at least 24 hours and by that time I'd like to think we would have noticed it. So the slim chance of the loony being an outsider is dealt with. Now all we have to worry about are the people inside. I suggest we make a list of people and what we have noticed. Any unusual behaviour, alibis for different times and places, references to wanting Harry wiped out should be remarked. Characterisation in general, that means. Then we'll once more scan through the letters and look for clues. And I want a thorough background check on all of them. When all of this is done we'll make a trust and trust not list. What do you think?"
Hermione stared at Ron in awe. Now she understood how he had made it head of the DMD.
"What is it? " Asked Ron curiously. "Do I have some dirt on my nose or something?" He chuckled softly and sent Hermione an amused look.
"Now I understand why They made you head of DMD." She clamped a hand over her mouth. Since when did she word her thoughts?
"Thanks." He said. She thought she saw him blush a little before he turned his gaze back to the fire, but she wasn't sure.
Oh why, why, why, had she been so stupid to blurt it out like that! Sure, it was a compliment on his address and friends are allowed to compliment each other, but the problem was, she didn't know where to draw the line. Before last night she could've just said that they're friends, but after that kiss… Why are you still thinking about the kiss anyway? You are a grown up for God's sake! Kisses come and go? So what if he kissed you? It was probably just some kind of a male reflex you have no idea exists. Why are you still spending all this time thinking about one meaningless kiss? That's because it wasn't meaningless to you. You have been in love with that guy since the second year and it obviously meant something to you! You obviously are still in love with him, aren't you?
That's it! She was not letting her heart get the best of her brain, because under the circumstances her brain was needed instead of her heart.
"Right, let's get to work, then!" She said enthusiastically.
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They had sorted out the documents, cut Harry off the Floo network, put different locking charms on his windows and doors and were currently working on the characterisation.
"All done." Announced Ron and yawned, turning his gaze onto a writing, mumbling-to-herself Hermione. Thoughts like: 'God, she's beautiful!' and 'I wonder if she'd mind if I kissed her?' conquered his mind.
"Okay. Finished. Let's compare!" She said happily startling Ron out of his dreamy- state, which he thought, was a good thing, because he seriously doubted the would've gotten any work done if he had given in and done something the both of them would have regretted.
"So you don't think it's Colin." Ron said matter-of-factly.
"So you think it is Colin." She replied in the same tone.
"We part opinions, that's never good, as Harry would say."
"He said that?" She asked disbelief covering her beautiful features.
"On more than one occasion." Ron grinned at her over the table.
"Talking about Harry, where is he? Usually, as I've noticed he comes over or at least sends Niles to inform us about dinner being ready and it is well over dinner time by now. We didn't even get lunch! I suppose he is too busy seducing your sister." She tried to keep on a straight face as Ron's eyes flashed and became a shade darker.
"Do not ever mention the words: Harry, seduce, my, sister in the same sentence."
Hermione couldn't help, but laugh. Ron was helplessly funny when he was angry. His wonderfully blue eyes even bluer, his hair spiked up from constantly pulling his hand through them and his cheeks Weasly red. The both of them laughed and laughed. It felt good, laughing with Ron. It was like when they were at Hogwarts. Friends. A little flirty at times, but still friends. Angry a lot, but still friends. That is, until he doesn't all of the sudden, as if lightning struck him, turn serious and tell you, you had best get back to work, which was exactly what Ron did. She stopped laughing and felt the strange friend-and-maybe-something-more bond between them break and lowered her head, writing again.
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If she had kept laughing like that he would have kissed her, that one was certain. It should be illegal to laugh like that! It made the most innocent guy, who was not in the least bit attracted to the woman sitting in front of him, want to kiss her. (A/N: That's right Ron! Keep telling yourself that! The truth is out there and we know it!) He had been too harsh on her, but if he had kissed her again there'd be no turning back. His mind was already too preoccupied with thinking about Hermione so that he couldn't think straight and he badly needed his common sense back to get the Untouchable or whatever his/her name was.
She had hung her head low and was now working silently, not even as breathing louder, as if afraid to disturb him. He felt guilt penetrating in him as he watched her. He was about to apologise when her head snapped up.
"Ron Weasly! How dare you! I know you are my boss and everything, but you have no right to! We were having a perfectly nice, friendly moment! How dare you ruin it!" She got up and towered over him. "Are you on some kind of a twisted opinion, that since you're my superior you cannot be my friend." She walked to his side of the table, voice thundering so Ron thought it best to get up, just to even the odds. His height however, failed to scare a furious Hermione Granger. "You insufferable, selfish, slimy…" She was now poking him in the chest with her index finger. "… g-i-t! Ron what in Heavens name are you doing?" He had flopped her over his shoulder and was now quickly advancing towards the door of the library.
"Hermione, I think you need rest. You are starting to physically harm your boss. That's never a good sign. Imagine what Snape or MacGonagall would've done if you poked them in the chest with that sharp finger of yours?"
She was laughing again. She just couldn't help it. He made her laugh, although she was simply furious with him!
"I am guessing MacGonagall would have froze in mid-sentence and sent you to the hospital wing."
"And Snape?"
"He would've hexed you. Afterall, you were a Gryffindor, were you not. And Gryffindors were to be treated in the worst possible way. Change of subject. I heard Snape retired."
"Really?" They were now making their way to the second floor. "Do you know who took his place?"
"Ne. But I heard the new Potions Master is a woman, so the term Potions Master is not that accurate." They stopped in front of Hermione's bedroom door and put her down. "You want me to come and tuck you in?" He asked, that all-known mischievous grin covering his face.
Hermione felt her knees go weak and almost reached out towards Ron to steady her. "No, I think I'll be fine."
Ron didn't seem in the least bit disappointed. "Okay. I'll just come and wake you up in the morning then." He planted a kiss on her cheek and whispered "Good night", into her ear, making her skin tingle where his breath touched it.
"'G'Night", she called after him and closed the door to her room.
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