A/N: Here it is! I'm finally getting around to the 10th chapter, I'm sure it'll be nothing that you hoped for, as I'm a little rusty after leaving you hanging for what feels like years, but I've already made excuses in the last chapter, and so without further ado, ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter 10

Hermione was grinning stupidly at Ron, who was shooting death glares at Harry. Who would have thought even Hermione Granger would succumb so easily to a love potion? Love really was a powerful form of magic, even 'Imitation Love' like this.

"Ro-on…" Hermione was whining, "You know I love you, come here, baby…"

She sounded positively drunk, but maybe she was just 'lovedrunk', Harry grinned to himself evilly, a drunk Hermione was not something he had expected to see... well, ever, really. This was going to be good.

10 minutes later, and Harry, who despite having been temporarily blind up until now, had heard some pretty interesting things. So far, Hermione had had an argument with herself (She had clearly managed to hold onto a thread of her intelligent, capable self despite the potion's effects),

she had eventually given in to a whirlwind battle within herself and done what had seemed to be a declaration of undying love for Ron, and Harry had managed to see through the blurs a huge red mass, that was Ron's face after she had clawed and pulled at his clothes.

Now, replacing his glasses in their rightful position on his face, he could see that Hermione's bushy hair had gone positively haywire-perhaps a side effect of the potion?- and that Ron was hiding behind a couch. Perhaps the site of a lovestruck Hermione was scary for him, but for Harry it was only amusing.

This was the strangest sensation. Hermione had never felt anything to compare it to, and could hardly describe it, it was so unnatural and weird.

It was like being in constant conflict with herself. The potion didn't make her love for Ron any stronger, but she could feel something new there, something much closer to lust than love. It was hard to resist acting like a fool and by now, the potion had grown so strong within her, that she had totally given in and was barely even aware of what she was doing.

Some rational part of her, deep within knew that she could just laugh it off as the potion, Ron never had to know, and something about that thought drove her a little further, and she knew she could so now, what she had never thought she could do in her right mind. Well, this wasn't her right mind and she could do what she pleased within this knew, crazy insanity that her mind had become.

Ron was hiding behind the couch. His senses were on full alert, as they always were whenever something happened between him and Hermione. He could smell the couch's musty, old leather smell, and could feel the bristly old woolen rug that had been thrown over the back and was now tickling his face roughly. Worst of all, he could see the hurt somewhere deep in Hermione, somewhere under the layers and layers of wizard-made love, he could almost feel the tears that would be welling up in her hazel eyes, and knew that he should be taking this like a man, like the man that she deserved. Of course Ron wanted Hermione to kiss him, wanted to feel her soft hair as he held her in his arms, but he didn't want it like this! No, because then she would explain afterwards that it was just the potion, and he could never live down the fact that he had loved her without any potion, and she hadn't felt the same way. Best to hide back here, and if she found him, then so be it.

Of course she found him. She always could. She found him hiding behind the old couch, possibly the worst hiding place, and most unoriginal anyone could imagine. 'Ronnie!' she squealed happily, her face twisting up as if some inner Hermione heard herself and was trying to let Ron know she didn't mean it. She would never speak like that, never speak his name like that at least. 'Hermione, what are you doing? It was cruel of Harry to give you that potion, OK?' she frowned and giggled at him, as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

'Come on, you idiot! We'll go find an antidote, just get up!' she had fallen to the floor in her haste to get to Ron, and was now crawling towards him, a blazing look in her eyes. She was really close to him now, he could see everything. The few dark hairs in between her eyebrows, the crinkles at the corner of her eyes, that had come from years of laughing at his and Harry's jokes, and the frown lines in her forehead, which he hoped he hadn't been a part of. The dry pink lips, smiling slightly, not showing any teeth, It all worked together to make the girl that he loved, the girl that he could never and would never have. She was even closer now, he could see the freckles on her nose, and the slightly dirty pores, grimy with months of exhaustion and not getting anywhere in their quest. It all seemed to go in slow motion, and then, she was kidding him. And it was bliss like he had never felt it before. It was awkward, and bumpy. Her lips dry against his. He could taste the sickly sweet love potion on her tongue and - wait. It was just a love potion. Her love for him was artificial and he couldn't carry on like this. He pulled away, and turned around, the pain of looking in to her sad eyes simply to much.

Sorry I can't go any further today, I really have to go, and I want to post this right now! I'm sorry for leaving you waiting for so long, this story isn't finished yet, but I might not continue for a while. I apologize for errors, rustiness or not-making-senseness, I've been gone for a while! Farewell my friends and please review, it helps me to update. And thanks for the most recent review I got, which actually caused me to write this chapter since I love getting reviews long or short so much. Just goes to show, eh?