Like Parents, Like Teens
Part 11
A/N: I know it's been a lot longer than I thought (and said!) it would be for this chapter, but I've been rather uninspired lately. I hope you enjoy this one, and another one will be coming soon. Really! Anyway, thanks sooo much to all my reviewers! I love you all!
Disclaimer: Potter & Co. do not belong to me. Neither does their universe, or other possessions, etc. Obvious, really, by the fact that I even need a disclaimer.
Well, here they were. Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop, haunt of those in search of romance. Ron could smell the mingled scent of coffee, pastries, and perfume already. He wrinkled his nose and sighed heavily.
"What is it now, Ron?" Ginny asked irritably. "You've been groaning all morning. I'm sure by now Hermione is wishing she'd brought someone else along. Real nice way to repay her for bringing you."
"Ginny," Hermione grumbled, glaring at her friend, who stared back unapologetically.
"Well it's true," she stated stubbornly. Ron, still sputtering over Ginny's earlier comment, either failed to hear this exchange or chose to ignore it.
"What do you mean 'repay her'?" He demanded. "I'm the one who gave her the bloody gift card in the first place!"
"And obviously she now feels obligated to take you as her guest. I can't imagine another reason why she'd ask such a git!" Ginny responded, ignoring Hermione's half-hearted attempts to stop the bickering. Shaking her head, Hermione gave it up as a lost cause and slid into step with Harry as the siblings continued to argue heatedly.
"They never stop do they?" she asked.
"No, not really," Harry replied happily. It was a beautiful day. Of course, he would be spending it inside the stuffy confines of the tea shop. He remembered the events of last year's Valentine's Day at the same place. Not exactly an encouraging example of his romantic skills. It didn't dampen his spirits, though. Ginny, unlike Cho, had not recently experienced the death of a boyfriend, and would (hopefully) not be as hysterical. At least things can't be worse this year, Harry reasoned.
Turning the bend, the four came face to face with the tea shop. Other couples emerged or entered, twittering happily, and Hermione began to feel her face heat up. This was a bad idea, she just knew it. What had she been thinking, asking Ron here? She wasn't allowed to imagine the horrible events that could occur, however, as Ginny was forcefully pulling her towards the door.
"Come on everyone! We're here to have fun, right?" She asked, scowling at the rest of the group, who appeared to be glued to the ground. They nodded, but made no move towards the door. "Then why are you all acting like you're about to partake in a snogging session with Snape?" This was followed by a few indignant remarks, and finally some movement. Some excitement would have been appreciated, she thought gloomily.
Harry and Ron glanced worriedly at each other as they crossed the threshold. Ron felt his stomach drop. His eyes took in the musty room, covered in pink. Hearts fluttered everywhere, and couples were snuggling in the dark booths. The best place in Hogsmeade for a romantic excursion; he'd heard it before. Now it was beginning to sink in. Both Ron and Harry gazed at their surroundings in dumbstruck horror while slowly following the girls across the room.
Ginny slid into the booth, rolling her eyes at the boys' expressions. They were hopeless. Hermione made a move to sit next to her, looking almost as weak as Ron and Harry.
"'Scuse me," Harry squeezed behind his surprised friend, and seated himself next to Ginny. Remembering the problems of sitting across from his date last year, he decided this seat would suit him just fine.
Ron glared at his friend as he delicately settled himself next to Hermione. He, of course, had not experienced the issues aroused by sitting in the position he had doubtless had in mind. He flicked a quick glance at Hermione. She looked sick. Ginny was probably right. She didn't want to be here, at least not with him. When she'd first brought up the tea shop he'd thought she was asking him on a date. What an idiotic idea. He was obviously not good date material. All of a sudden, Ron didn't feel too hot himself.
A waitress arrived at the table. "Welcome to Madame Puddifoot's," she purred. "What can I offer you today, on the most romantic of all days?"
"Ummmmm…" Hermione mumbled unintelligently, reminded sharply that today was indeed Valentine's Day. She was, finally, having a romantic afternoon with Mr. Ronald Weasley. If this was what she had looked forward to for so long, then why did she feel so strange? The smell of the waitress' perfume, one of many, washed over her. The image of a giant cauldron sitting in the sun appeared in her mind. Women kept coming and staring into the sizzling concoction, then dumping perfume bottles into the mixture. A lot of women.
"We have these coupons," Ginny spoke up, looking concernedly at her friend. Hermione was always the one to be upfront and precise. 'Um' was not a word in her vocabulary. Not really a word, Hermione would have replied to this thought. Ginny's frown deepened, but she turned back to the waitress. "So four pastries and four coffees," she continued, handing the waitress her gift card. Hermione, realizing that the waitress was looking at her, fumbled into her pocket and clumsily handed it to the girl, who left.
"Well this is…nice," Harry said uneasily.
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Ginny replied dreamily. She slipped her hand into his. Harry felt his face burn up, even though much more interesting things than holding hands were happening in other booths. He cleared his throat. Ginny smiled at him, and he smiled goofily back. He squeezed her hand.
Ron observed this with narrowed eyes. Although Ginny drove him up a wall, and so did her past boyfriends, he didn't know if he'd be able to get used to Harry and Ginny…together. He felt his own face redden a bit, whether with anger or embarrassment at his own thoughts, he didn't know.
"So Hermione," he began, distracting himself from the couple across from him.
"Yes?" she asked, looking up at him from where she'd been staring at the table.
"Uh…" Now, with those brown eyes staring right at him, Ron's mind went blank. "Um…" He looked away, really flushing with, he was sure this time, embarrassment.
Hermione's lips twitched into a small smile. He was so cute when he acted like that. It didn't display his intelligence very well, but she knew he was capable of higher brain powers in a tight situation.
"Oh Ron," she sighed. He looked up sharply at the inflection in her voice. It was very strange, almost as if she was…drunk. Ron swiftly pushed this thought away. Maybe she was just tired.
When her arm laced around his, he wasn't so sure.
"You are quite adorable when you're confused," she breathed dreamily. Ron made a strangled noise, taken aback by both Hermione's words and actions. Had all that studying finally made her go nutters? Or was she just joking? This was a highly unlikely scenario, and not very funny at all.
"Which is often," she added as an afterthought, smiling bemusedly.
"That's great Hermione," he said frantically. Glancing across the table he was greeted with the unwelcome sight of Harry and Ginny…kissing. Great, just bloody fantastic, Ron thought. I'm glad I can always count on them. Disentangling himself from Hermione's arm, he looked helplessly around the room. No one was paying attention in the slightest to their table.
Hermione had the odd feeling she'd said something she'd regret later, but she was having trouble focusing…Merlin, that smell! She felt like she was swimming, no drowning, in an ocean of it.
"Hermione!" Ron's voice floated in the thick air. "Hermione!" More urgent this time.
A shriek, followed by the crash of breaking dishes, splintered the silence that had fallen inside Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop. The other customers peered at the shocked waitress standing amidst the broken dishes, then at the table that was causing this reaction.
Harry and Ginny stared in shock at the scene unfolding around them. Ron was yelling and jumping around. The waitress was screaming, the couples craning their necks to get a good look at what had happened. Something exciting indeed: Hermione Granger had passed out on the table.
A/N: A very short chapter, I'm aware of the fact, but I wanted a bit of a cliffhanger! Though I highly doubt any of you can really wonder what will happen at the end of this story but…I try. Hope you enjoyed it, and even if you didn't, please review and tell me! KW