Strictly Experimental Ch3

Hermione crouched down and let the rain-simulating magical shower beet down on her back. She just knew things were going to get awkward between Harry and her, they already were! She had passed him in the hallway on the way to the bathroom, and he couldn't even look at her. Not that she was looking at him… of coarse not.

'Oh, what have I gotten myself into? How am I going to act around Ron? How will Harry act around Ron? What if he tells? He can't! I can't! I… I need help. Psychiatric help. But I can't tell anybody! What am I going to do?' Hermione was, yet again, attempting not to cry. She settled instead for pulling at her hair. She heard a tentative knock at the door.

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

'… Oh god. Harry. He probably wants to… TALK!' She suppressed the small voice in her head that was saying 'Aww he's so sweet! He's concerned for me!'

"Uh, yeah I'm fine. I'll be right out."

She grabbed her towel and realized with panic that she had forgotten to bring a change of cloths. Her others were… soiled. 'I can't go out there with a towel on! What will he think?

She hastily grabbed a towel off of the rack and wrapped it around her torso. She opened the door slightly and peaked her head through the crack.

"Um… could you go in Ron's room for a minute?"

"Why?"

"I… uh… I need to get my clothes out of Ginny's room…" said Hermione as she nervously looked down at the floor.

"Oh, okay." Harry scratched the back of his neck. "I'll just… go and wait downstairs then…"

He quickly retreated, beat-red with embarrassment.

Hermione met him in the kitchen a short time after changing her attire to the most conservative thing she could find. Harry had set out two drinks for them, and firmly set his gaze on the wooden table. Hermione took a seat and thanked him.

"Look," Harry began nervously. "I think we should…"

Just then the fireplace lit up and a very worn Mrs. Weasley stepped out of the green flames.

"Harry dear! Have you already eaten?"

Mrs. Weasley dusted some soot off of her robes. Ginny and Ron followed her, leaving a trail of dirt on the floor.

Hermione and Harry, who were drinking some sort of magical citrus drink that's taste was virtually unidentifiable, appeared extremely grateful for the interruption.

"Not yet. How was Diagon Alley?"

Ron made his way over to Hermione and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It was kinda boring mate. Probably not as boring as it was here though."

Hermione gave Harry a nervous glance while Harry was straining not to smile.

Ron took a seat next to Hermione, and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Hermione was failing in her attempt to remain casual while deliberately not looking him in the eye. She spared a glance at Harry, who was looking down at his drink as if it were some fascinating artifact. 'He looks as uncomfortable as I feel,' Hermione mused. She was so absorbed in thought that she didn't notice that Ginny was giving her a critical and curious gaze. She took a seat next to Harry as Mrs.Weasley floated lunch onto the table.

"Tuck in dears!"

Everyone began eating at once. They were all famished due to some tiresome activity or other that day. Ginny decided to break what appeared to be a comfortable silence.

"Hermione… did you… change clothes since this morning?"

Hermione abruptly began choking on a piece of toast. Ron patted her on the back, encouraging her to breath properly.

"I… um…"

"Genius over their spilled butterbeer all over her shirt," Harry said as comically as possible, considering that he had just made the lie up off the top of his head. Hermione wore a look of reproach, but her eyes were clearly shining with gratitude.

Ginny seemed satisfied with the answer, while Ron found the thought of Hermione the "genius" spilling something extremely funny.

Mrs. Weasley gave Hermione a kind smile.

"Not to worry dear. I can have that stain out in an instant! Just bring the shirt down after lunch."

Hermione's face had completely lost its color. She thanked Mrs.Weasley, but it didn't help that there WASN'T a shirt with a butterbeer stain! Harry caught her eye. He seemed to understand her panic. He gave her a short smile that seemed to say 'don't worry about it.'

Hermione trusted him, so she ate her meal without choking on anything else.

After lunch, Mrs. Weasley reminded her to get the shirt. Hermione nodded, and walked up the stairs as slowly as possible. She went into Ginny's room and opened her trunk. She had shoved the soiled skirt into the bottom of the trunk, and wrapped it in a spare bit of parchment. Hermione grabbed the shirt she had been wearing earlier out of the laundry pile. She looked at the stainless fabric in exasperation. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Urg! Harry, why couldn't you have said I spilt butterbeer on my SKIRT?"

"I didn't think of it."

Hermione swung around, not expecting to see Harry standing behind her, looking sheepish and holding a glass of butterbeer in his hand.

Hermione hastily took the glass and poured half of it down the front of the shirt. She shook it a little to make it appear more damp than wet.

"Thank you so much Harry! You really saved me back there… and just now!"

Hermione was indeed grateful, and suppressed the urge to kiss him… a bit more passionately than she would have desired before that morning.

Harry scratched the back of his neck, still refusing to look her in the eye.

"Yeah, well, no problem. You should probably get downstairs now… but we have to talk later… okay?" Harry still looked very awkward and unsure. Hermione thought that it did not at all compliment his attitude earlier that afternoon.

"Yeah, okay."

Hermione was dreading this conversation, but tried not to show it.

"Yeah…" Harry exited the room, and drank the rest of the butterbeer in one large gulp.

After she gave Mrs.Weasley the shirt, Hermione stood at the bottom of the stairs, wondering whether she should speak to Harry before or after dinner… and when would be the most convenient time for them to speak alone.

Before she could muse on the thought of Harry and her being alone once more, she felt a hand slide up her arm. Ron turned her around enough to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Did you miss me today," Ron said in a voice that was a pathetic excuse for sultriness.

Hermione tried desperately not to role her eyes.

"Uh, yeah."

Ron smile and leaned in to kiss her more deeply… beginning with the same unpleasant "fish lips."

Hermione now realized that her "experiment" was a horrible, ghastly mistake. Now, she not only realized how bad of a kisser Ron is compared to Harry, but the experience was actually… nauseating! He FINALLY stopped kissing her, looking so pleased with himself that he missed the look of utter disappointment on his girlfriend's face.

Hermione gave Ron a friendly hug. He returned it, probably thinking it was some sort of "passionate embrace" while Hermione was simply trying to escape having to kiss him again.

'I wish this were Harry,' she thought, and glanced up the stairs as if hoping to she him through the ceiling. She needn't worry about seeing through walls, however, for he was standing at the top of the stairs, looking at her intently with an emotionless mask. Hermione hid her gasp, and tried not to run after him as he slowly turned and walked back to his bedroom.

She contemplated the fastest way to get away from Ron and get to Harry without seeming suspicious. She pulled away from him and opened her mouth to voice a hasty excuse.

Ron silenced her and smiled.

"It's okay. I know what you're going to say. I think we should take the next step in our relationship too…"