Misunderstanding?

I really ought to write more PoA stuff since it's one of my favourite HP books. And on a slightly off track note, I really wish Rupert had kept the hairstyle from this movie for the rest – I just think that's what Ron's hair is supposed to look like LOL

It was a cold winter's morning. Ron had just finished feeding Scabbers in the boy's dorms and was making his way downstairs. He pondered on how weird Hermione had been acting lately. For instance, how on Earth was she getting to all those classes at apparently the same time?

That very moment, said person appeared from the girls dorms with that bloody cat in her arms. Scabbers immediately went wild and decided to scratch Ron's hand ferociously.

'Ow, Scabbers!' he cried, nursing his now bleeding hand.

'Ron, are you alright?' Hermione heard his cry and almost chucked Crookshanks into a nearby pot in her haste to check if he was okay. Ron felt a malicious sense of satisfaction from this.

'I'm alright Hermione. It's that bloody cat of yours that's not! I keep getting scratched to death by Scabbers every time it's nearby!' He stood over her, waving the offending hand around.

'Don't be ridiculous Ron, let me have a look.' Hermione ignored the outburst and made as if to grab his hand. Ron blushed and hid the hand behind his back.

'Oh come here!' Hermione scalded him, gently but assertively taking the hand in hers.

Ron became very quiet as she examined it.

'Don't know why you're making such a fuss about it,' he muttered, trying to cover up the weird feelings currently being generated from Hermione holding his hand.

Hermione looked derisively up at him.

'Me make a fuss? When you've just been waving it around like a trophy?'

'Well what's the verdict?' He ignored her sensible response, nodding down at his hand.

'My verdict Ron is that you are the limit!'

He grinned at her much like his twin brothers.

'Ah!' He suddenly cried out as she waved her wand over his hand with a simple healing spell.

Hermione looked smugly up at him as he examined his hand, now void of Scabbers' marks.

'Thanks,' he said quietly, and they stood awkwardly for a moment.

Ron cleared his throat.

'Are you coming to Hogsmeade this weekend? Only I thought it'd be cool if we met in the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer...'

A blush spread across Hermione's cheeks. Ron noticed, but didn't understand why.

'I mean if you're busy it's alright – you're probably camping down in the library for the weekend anyway...'

Hermione's blush turned to an indignant glare. Ron grinned, knowing he was irritating her.

'It's okay Hermione. I know you love books more than you love me,' he joked, missing the other meaning this sentence might have.

Hermione's blush returned in full force, and she looked at Ron's trainers instead of his face.

Despite Ron understanding the meaning of Hermione's death glares, he was very inept at reading her more girlish expressions – for instance he had no idea what this look meant and what he should do about it. Gentle Hermione made Ron awkward and uncomfortable whereas irritated Hermione was familiar and safe.

'Hermione?' he prompted her, weirdly feeling the need to adopt a softer tone.

Then she looked up at him.

'Ron, I'd love to get a butterbeer with you.'

It was like that look she'd given him last year after bursting into the Great Hall unpetrified – it took his breath and made him stutter incoherently.

'Oh! I, er, I mean, you know, with me and Harry. I mean, what's life without being stalked by a few of Harry's deadliest enemies all the time?'

He realised his error – had he really asked her to go to the Three Broomsticks with him? He'd meant with Harry – she'd misinterpreted it. Of course she had. Because he definitely hadn't been thinking about going with just her. Definitely not. Why would he?

A blush spread spectacularly across his face. Oh bloody hell.

'Oh, alright.' She seemed momentarily disappointed, and then became the usual business-like Hermione.

'Let me see it again.' She put her hand out in front of him and cleared her throat.

Ron looked at her for a moment, then placed his hand slowly in hers, captivated by her every move.

'It seems to be completely healed,' she commented.

'Yeah,' Ron said, in a deep voice as he looked at her.

It seemed the deepness of his voice surprised her, and she looked up, her cheeks still bright.

Ron was still getting used to this deeper voice of his, and it seemed to activate at particularly awkward moments usually concerning Hermione. He swallowed thickly. Hermione noticed this and smiled. She had known what he meant earlier – she just wished he wasn't so scared of handling her like a girl.

'Well then, it seems you don't need me anymore. I'll see you later; I've got arithmancy in fifteen minutes.' With a hint of a shy smile she left the common room.

'What? But we've got Snape first!' He called after her uselessly.

Ron collapsed into an armchair.

She was wrong. He needed her a bit too much.

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