Chapter 2:

Coming Up With a Plan

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"Excuse Me?" Hermione said laughing. "Oh Please Ronald. Me? Go to the Yule Ball with You? You've got to be joking! Now seriously, what did you want to ask me?"

Ron started to open his mouth in protest, but before he could get any words out, Harry came into the Common Room and joined them.

"Hello Harry!" said Hermione, brightening at his appearance.

"Hermione, it's lovely to see you, as always. Hey! I've got an idea, why don't you go to the Ball with me?"

"WHAT?" Ron thundered, staring open-mouthed at Harry. "But- you knew- you filthy traitor- I called you my best friend- how could you!"

"Ronald, I've already turned you down, so Harry is at perfect liberty to ask me to the ball."

"So will you go with me?" Harry asked once more.

"Of course I will Harry, I'm in love with you."

"I'm in love with you too Hermione."

Ron could not take this anymore. He stood up and shoved Harry. Harry stumbled backwards and then came lunging forward, hitting Ron square in the face. As everything went black, Ron could hear Hermione asking Harry if he was alright…

Ron awoke with a start.

"Bloody Hell" he said as he sat up and looked around him. He was in his bed and it was still dark outside. It had all been a dream.

"A really horrible dream at that" Ron thought as he punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

"Calm down" Ron firmly told himself. "It was just a dream. Harry doesn't fancy Hermione, you know that. He fancies Cho. Get a grip." And yet, even as Ron told himself this, uncertainty still lingered on his mind. He stared up at the ceiling for a while and then headed down to the Common Room when sleep had still not come.

There was no one in the Common Room so he took a seat by the dwindling fire. He looked around and spotted a very bushy ginger tail creeping towards him.

"Crookshanks" he called and the cat crept lazily over and hopped up onto Ron's lap.

"Well, look at you being all friendly with me. I suppose it's because Scabbers- er, Pettigrew- isn't around anymore. You really do have a brilliant judge of character." Crookshanks purred up at Ron and then settled himself into a tight ball. Ron started to scratch Crookshanks absentmindedly and then started speaking to him once more.

"Hermione's something isn't she? Always over achieving and knowing everything. She really is the brightest witch of our age. And she's pretty, always doing something to make her natural beauty stand out, like when she bites her lip when she's thinking. She's brave too. Just came out and punched Malfoy in the face last year! God…Wow, listen to me ramble about her. I'm not exactly the best with words. How am I going to ask her out? Why would she possibly want to go out with me- maybe I just shouldn't go through with this."

Crookshanks stood up suddenly and dug his claws into Ron's legs.

"Fine! Fine! I'll go through with it! Don't have to get all freaked out."

Crookshanks settled back down and fell asleep. Ron continued talking, for he was too lost in his thoughts to notice otherwise.

"I mean, why wouldn't Hermione want to date me? I'm nice, I'm funny, I'm good at chess and quidditch, I take care of her, I'm not bad to look at- Oh great. Now I sound all conceited. Why would Hermione want to date someone who's conceited? Argh!" Ron shook his head violently as if to clear it of all his thoughts.

"Calm down Ron, you'll figure it all out in the morning. You and Harry will come up with a plan for you to ask your best friend out." Ron carefully put Crookshanks onto a nearby armchair and started towards the staircase, just missing the mane of bushy hair that had flown up the stairs to the Girl's Dormitories.

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The next day was Saturday, so Ron had all day to come up with a plan. After breakfast Hermione went to the library as expected and Ron and Harry went out by the lake to see what they could come up with.

"What if I sent her a note? Like in the morning post or something? She could open it at breakfast."

"That's alright, but I've got a better idea- why don't you just pull her aside and ask her to go with you?"

"Harry, it's not that simple! This is Hermione we're talking about, I have to do this just right because I can't mess up our friendship. That's what comes first!"

"I understand that Ron, but I don't think Hermione would want anything extravagant. So think, what are the things that Hermione likes and how can you use them to ask her?"

"Well, Hermione likes the library, Crookshanks, and being outside."

"Well then, there are your ideas Ron. Run with them."