Gryffindor Common Room

Ron's point of view

She was so, absolutely beautiful I couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Ron? Hello?"

Her lips, and her eyes, and that hair…

"Ron…?" Hermione snapped her fingers in front of me, as I came back to reality.

"Oh, erm…"

"What is the matter with you? And why were you looking at me like that?" I blushed furiously and tried for some vague excuse. None came.

Hermione shrugged. "No matter," she said distractedly. "Have you finished your paper yet?"

Hermione and that homework. I sighed. "No, not quite…"

She looked at my work. "Ronald Weasley!" she exclaimed, looking in disbelief at my blank scroll. "What have you been doing all this time?"

Admiring your amazing beauty, I thought, but decided against saying it. Instead, I stammered, "Well, you know, sitting here…"

She glared. "Well how on Earth do you expect me to edit a blank scroll? Honestly, Ron!" She stood. "I'm going to go find my library book. Come get me when you have decided to do some work." With that, she walked off with a swish of bushy hair, into the girls' dormitory.


Hermione

Why was he staring at me like that? I thought. It was almost as if… Never mind that, I have work to do. As I searched for the latest version of Hogwarts, a History, complete with the updated events up through the past few years of our Hogwarts schooling, my mind again wandered to Ron.

He was rather cute, I knew. With those beautiful blue eyes and that bright red hair and the way he blushed when he was embarrassed… I sighed. Alas, he was my friend. And just a friend. And no matter how many looks he gave me, and no matter how confused those looks made me, none of it mattered. He had muddled it all up the previous year, what with the whole Lavender thing. And besides, there was no way he'd ever return my affections.


Ron

"Just tell her!" Ginny exclaimed, as she watched me looking at Hermione as she left. I looked at my little sister in disbelief. "Well, if you want her that badly, she's never going to know unless you say something."

"I… I have no idea what you're talking about," I said indignantly, even while blushing.

"Of course you don't," she replied. "Just like you didn't when you saw her at that ball with Krum, huh?" She placed her hands on her hips and looked at me with that look she always gave me when she knew I was lying to her.

"That's ridiculous, Ginny," I said, looking away. "She had every right to be at that ball."

"Sure she did…" She paused. "With you."

I looked at her.

"Besides," she added, her voice in a slight teasing tone. "You never know. She just might like you back."


Hermione

I walked back into the Gryffindor common room, content on my decision to just be friends with Ron. "So, Ron," I said, "How's the paper coming?" Even as the words left my mouth, I heard the last ones Ginny said. Of course, I thought. He has another girl in the wings. I tried to hide my disappointment.

Ron blushed a deep red again, then said, "Well, I, actually, that is…"

"I was distracting him," Ginny interrupted. "I promise I won't do it again." She stood up to go. "Hey Ron," she added. He looked at her. "Think about what I said, really." With one last look at me, Ginny went upstairs.

"What was that all about?" I asked Ron.

"Oh, nothing," he said gruffly. "Just Ginny being Ginny. Nosy as usual." I couldn't help but notice he avoided my eyes as he said it.


The next day, in the dining hall.

Ron's point of view

So, friendship. Right. She's my best friend. Hermione Granger, same girl as always. With the bushy hair, and the books, and that know-it-all attitude… Just Hermione. I had tried to talk myself out of it for months, but there was just no use. I'd think the same things, and try the same ideas, but I'd always come back to it: I want her to be mine. To me, it didn't matter that she didn't have good hair, that she was too smart for her own good, or even that she thought she knew everything there was to know—for all I knew, she did.

"Hey there, Mate," Harry said, taking a seat at the table and breaking me out of my trance. "What's been up with you lately?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well," he said slowly, "you just seem… I don't know. Spacey."

Ginny shot me a knowing look from across the table, and I promptly kicked her in the knee. "Ouch!" she yelled. "What was that for?"

I just glared.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "just let me know if you need to, you know, talk or anything."


Hermione

I watched this display of manhood and it was almost cute. Harry was trying, if nothing else. Even if he didn't really know the first thing about helping people, he at least managed to get the sentence out without too very much trouble. Ron, however, was just acting weird.

I stayed silent this morning, considering everything that had been going on. I studied Ron. I just couldn't get that look out he gave me out of my head. It was like his whole face had softened, and then I said his name, and it was just gone.

Suddenly I realized he had been looking at me too, and I blushed and looked promptly away. Smooth, Hermione, I thought to myself. The best way to get a good friendship is to stare at the poor boy.

A moment later, Ron excused himself, and Ginny followed him out. I looked after him, and unfortunately, Harry noticed.

"Hermione," he said, "why don't you just tell him?"

I blushed madly for the second time that morning and looked away. Gathering my books quickly, I managed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

As I turned to go, he called for me. I looked back, careful not to meet his eyes. "Besides," he said. "You never know. He just might like you, too."