Hey folks! I know it's been a while since I've updated... and I hate to tell you that this update won't exactly relieve tension. I look forward to updating again when I have time!

The Loft 7

Hermione is so far outside her comfort zone, she might as well have been launched into outer space.

Here she is, standing in a lakeside field, a shotgun slewn over her shoulder as she aims at a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon on a ledge.

Lavender Brown — Ron's 'friend' — stands next to her, close enough to whisper in her ear. "See that can? Imagine he's your ex. Now shoot him."

They're at Shell Cottage, Ron's brother's house, while he and his wife are out on vacation. Although the cottage is nowhere near the ocean, it's decorated (and named) like a seaside villa, supposedly an attempt to make Ron's sister-in-law feel more at home. The blue and white color scheme, nautical theming, and beachy decor look just as out of place as Hermione feels standing next to a sad-looking, algae-ridden lake.

Apparently, Ron has brought Lavender here to 'escape the city' (code for sex) and run a little wild (code for shoot guns, apparently).

Hermione isn't a huge fan of swearing, even in her own head, but regardless, the same phrase keeps floating through her mind.

What the fuck?

"I need a backstory," she tells Lavender.

"What do you mean?"

"Why am I shooting at my ex? What did he do to me?"

"Oh. You need a reason. I got you! Let me think." Lavender studies her for a moment, as if contemplating what Hermione would think is the worst thing a lover could do. The thought unsettles her. "He cheated on you."

"That's awful," Ron pipes in, deadpan. "Sounds like no one we know."

Without her consent, Hermione's mind plays back a memory of Ron and the boys rushing Cormac McLaggen for her belongings, donning musical themed hats and all. The thought threatens to tug her lips into a smile, but she remains straight-faced.

"What else did he do?" asked Hermione.

"You need more than that?"

"To shoot him? Yes."

Lavender clears her throat. "Okay, he doesn't like it when you read books."

Hermione scowls, focusing on that cheating, book-hating can of PBR.

"And he thinks musicals are stupid! Ron told me you like musicals."

He did?

At that moment, Ron speaks up. "Also, Hermione, he doesn't think women should vote."

"Wait, what?" Hermione turns toward Ron. He's grinning triumphantly and she shoots him a glare. "Why did I date him in the first place if he doesn't think women should vote?"

"Woah, watch that gun!" says Ron as he dodges behind Krum.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hermione lowers it from her shoulder.

Ron approaches Hermione and positions himself behind her. He wraps his arms around her shoulders, and cups her hands over the handle and trigger. The gesture reminds her of a date making an excuse to show her how to mini golf.

Krum clears his throat, which causes Ron to drop his arms and back away. Hermione had almost forgotten that he's here too.

Why are they here?

She recalls the events that led them to this point. By the time Lavender and Ron had become a 'thing' as he so eloquently put it, Hermione had been seeing a lot of her. She'd creep out of Ron's room in the morning and help herself to coffee, smiling at Hermione as if they were already best friends. She'd tell Hermione things about Ron, either things she already knew (Hermione was his friend first, after all) or things she really didn't want to know.

When Ron and Lavender started spending time at Shell Cottage, she became curious. If they were just casual, like her and Krum, what would they do hiding in a cabin by themselves for a whole weekend?

Well, she knew exactly what they'd do. But still, curiosity got the better of her. So she invited herself and Viktor along. A double date, if you will.

And that was that.

Now she's in a field, holding a gun, while Ron whispers in her ear.

"So he was a feminist when you started dating, but got caught up with the wrong crowd," says Ron, breaking Hermione from her memory.

"Sure. It happens."

"It started small, you know. He started spending too much time on reddit. Then he began catcalling women on the street. Then, before you knew it, you were watching The Handmaid's Tale and he was like 'Gilead seems nice.'"

The fact that Ron knows Hermione well enough to describe her biggest, reddest flags makes her hair stand on edge.

"Okay, that's it," says Hermione. "He's dead."

"Your hair smells good, by the way," Ron adds matter-of-factly.

Hermione freezes, then feels her finger push down on the trigger. She's not prepared for the recoil, which causes her to stumble back and by default, she clutches onto the first thing her hand contacts, which just so happens to be the trigger. Again.

The second, unintentional shot ricochets off a nearby tree and collides with an electric pole leading to the cabin, causing the lights to spark, sizzle, then go dark.

"Fuck!" she says, before clapping her free hand to her mouth.

"Hermione!" groans Ron.

"What did you do?" says Lavender.

"It wasn't her fault!" Krum says in defense. "She didn't do that on purpose!"

"Now we don't have any power tonight!"

"How are we going to cook our food?"

"We'll have to order pizza, I guess."

"We'll get so cold tonight," says Ron. "Because of you, Hermione."

She wants to be annoyed, but there's a smirk in his tone.

"We can get cozy," says Lavender. "C'mon, this will be fine!" she adds when everyone groans. "We'll make it fun!"

x

Less than an hour later, Hermione, Viktor, Ron, and Lavender are sitting in the living room of their cabin eating pizza. Lavender is practically sitting on Ron's lap, and Hermione can't help but roll her eyes when she tries to feed him a piece of her slice. She wants to laugh when his ears turn pink and he looks away pointedly.

"I think it's time for a drink!" Lavender flops her pizza back onto her plate and rises to her feet. "I've got wine and more beer, and I've also pre-rolled a few joints if you're interested."

Hermione's never smoked a day in her life, so she politely declines. Ron and Krum, however, take up her offer eagerly.

She watches Lavender pass them each a joint, unsure how to feel about it. She's tempted to reprimand them both — don't they know how harmful smoking is for the lungs?

Ron pulls a lighter from his pocket, leaving Hermione to wonder how long he's been carrying that around. Agreeing to smoke is one thing, but having his own lighter?

He passes the lighter to Krum. For some reason, watching Krum smoke bothers her less than watching Ron. Hermione's eyes keep following the joint to Ron's mouth, then to the slight dusting of a beard emerging, and the way his lips gently wrap around…

No. Don't do this.

"What?" asks Ron, smirking. He's caught her looking.

"Nothing."

"You're judging me."

"No, I'm not!" she says, although she's quite relieved that he thinks so. She can't have him knowing what's actually swirling in her mind — that he looks pretty sexy with a joint. She needs to keep that one locked up tight.

"You totally are," says Ron. "Granger, you need to loosen the fuck up."

Hermione rolls her eyes. She's at a cabin, drinking beer, with her casual sex partner, having just fired a shotgun. She's already loosened the fuck up. "No, I really don't."

"All in favor of Hermione loosening up, say aye," announces Ron.

"Aye," both Lavender and Krum chime in.

"The jury has spoken. Let me get you another drink. Red or white?" Ron motions to the two unopened bottles of wine on the coffee table.

"Either is fine."

"Okay. White. Because white wine makes you silly," he says as he begins uncorking the bottle, holding onto his joint with his teeth.

"Why do you say that?" asks Hermione. As far as she knows, white wine doesn't affect her any differently than red.

"It's true. Right Vicky?" asks Ron.

"He's right," says Viktor. "White wine makes you giggly."

"So white wine it is," repeats Ron. He pours her a generous glass and slides across the table to her. "Would you like to try this too?"

Hermione looks at his outstretched hand, his two fingers gripping his fuming joint.

"No thank you, I'm not a smoker."

"You know, smoking is an activity, not a personality trait."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"One puff won't taint your character."

She narrows her eyes at Ron, his gaze constant, challenging. She knows exactly what he means by that — stop being so judgemental.

"Fine." Hermione takes the joint from him and puts it to her lips. It's wet from Ron's mouth, and she should find that disgusting, yet she doesn't.

"Just inhale."

Hermione takes a breath, and immediately erupts into a coughing fit. Ron showcases his teasing, lopsided smile. "You'll get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to that," she says between coughs.

"That's okay," says Ron as he takes his joint back. "But hey, I'm proud of you! You tried something new."

He has the audacity to wink at her, causing goosebumps to break out on her skin. She snuggles closer to Krum to ward off any shivers following the chill that runs through her body.

As if by response, Ron drapes an arm around Lavender, never breaking eye contact.

Hermione reaches for her wine and finishes it off in one big gulp.

As the night goes on, things get blurrier. After a disorganized game of True American, some overly ambitious karaoke, and a few rounds of Never Have I Ever, Hermione's surroundings have begun to fade to the background.

Except for one surrounding in particular. Ron and Lavender.

Hermione's kept an eye on how open they've become with one another. The way Lavender tangles her fingers in his hair while talking to Hermione, or kisses him (with tongue) in between sips.

She hasn't missed how much he's loosened up over the course of the night, now pulling her onto his lap and tracing her breast with his thumb as she climbs toward him.

It's a stark difference to sober Ron, looking pointedly away as Lavender tried to feed him pizza.

And frankly, it's a lot.

Hermione looks at Krum. He's attractive, sure. She's attractive, right?

He's not pulling her into his lap. Does she even want him to?

It's all too much. She can only watch Ron and Lav's public display of affection for so long before her eyes begin to sting. She doesn't want anyone to see that, so she gives Krum's hand a squeeze, stands up, and stealthily leaves the living room for the kitchen, hoping that the party continues without interruption.

Based on the familiar footsteps that follow her, Hermione's quick to discover she's not alone in the kitchen.

"Want to tell me why you're upset?" asks Ron.

"I'm not upset. Just getting some water." Hermione keeps her back to Ron. Her face is probably flushed — hopefully she can blame the alcohol.

"You seem pretty upset," he pushes.

"So I guess you're not too drunk to notice," she snaps back.

"Hey," says Ron as he rounds the kitchen island toward Hermione. "Are you mad at me for drinking?"

Hermione shrugs and shakes her head.

"Or is it something else?"

"Ron, I don't want to talk about this."

"So there is something else."

Ron is right next to her now, clearly able to see her flushed face. "Just needed a break."

"From?"

Hermione's jaw clenches. She buys herself some more time by taking a long sip of water. It sounds like Ron is fishing for something specific, so maybe she should just tell him. "Lavender's a lot."

Ron nods. "She is."

So he agrees. "Then why do you like her?"

Ron takes a step back, clearly confused by her question. "Sorry?"

"What do you see in her?" she specifies.

"You don't like her?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just making conversation."

"You're implying it."

"I like her just fine. Just curious why you like her."

She knows she sounds ridiculous, and that this is none of her business. But her words spill out anyway. Maybe she should blame the alcohol.

"You just don't like me with her?"

Hermione groans. "Forget I asked."

"No, I'll answer," he says, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Starting with the obvious: she's beautiful. And friendly. Not to mention fun — I like that she encourages me to try new things."

"Like shooting beer cans? Smoking weed?"

"Sure. Among other things."

"What other things?" she asks, full well knowing she doesn't want the answer.

"I don't think you want to know about those."

He knows her so well. She doesn't want him to continue, so she merely shrugs.

Yet, he continues. "It's casual, you know. Just like you and Krum."

Right. Her and Krum.

"Won Won!" calls Lavender from the living room.

"Speak of the devil. Ready to return to the party?" Ron asks.

Hermione takes another swig of cold water. "Yeah."

The pair returns to the living room to find Lavender and Krum waiting for them. Lavender is sitting on Krum's lap and stroking his hair. Their faces are awfully close. Krum turns toward her and she closes the gap between them, pressing her lips against his.

"Erm… what's going on here?" asks Ron.

Lavender breaks away from Krum and beams. "We switched!"

Hermione narrows her eyes at Krum, who shrugs. Then she turns to Ron, whose face has lit up like a flame.

"Care to join us?" Lavender adds as she ruffles Krum's hair. "We could all be together tonight…"

Hermione looks back at Ron to gauge his reaction, but he's frozen in place, his thoughts hidden behind his stoic poker face. His prior words echo through her mind. Lavender encourages me to try new things. Was this what he meant? Have they done this before?

For a moment, she lets herself imagine it. His hands in her hair, her legs around his hips. Tangled in the sheets, exploring each other. With Krum and Lavender right there. Watching. Participating.

Nothing has ever sounded so wonderful, and so repulsive at the same time.

Looking at Ron, she knows one thing: She wants him. More than anything.

But not like this.

Hermione's eyes well with tears she can't quite explain, and she turns on her heel and leaves the room before anyone can see her. The room becomes deafeningly quiet the moment she leaves.

When the door to her bedroom slams behind her, she tumbles onto the bed and lets her tears flow freely.

How did she let her attraction to Ron get so out of control? He was never attainable in the first place. Dating her roommate would have gotten pretty messy, so why does it feel chaotic already? She has Krum, so she shouldn't be jealous of Lavender. It doesn't matter that Lavender is clearly more adventurous than her, more beautiful, more fun. It doesn't matter that Ron dating Lavender means that his taste in women is so far away from anything she'd ever live up to. None of it matters, so why can't she stop crying?

She clutches the blanket with her fist and uses the pillow to muffle a sob. Her own distressed breathing is so loud that she barely hears the door creep open.

"Hermione?"

Viktor Krum's soft voice doesn't calm her down as much as it should, nor does the feel of the bed sinking under his weight as he crawls next to her and lays his hand on her back.

"I'm so sorry."

His apology catches her off guard. She's the one who should be sorry for ruining Krum's opportunity for a foursome. How is she supposed to be someone's girlfriend if she can't even be a good fuck buddy?

In an uncharacteristically soft voice, Viktor continues. "I shouldn't have kissed Lavender. I didn't know that would upset you."

Caught off guard, Hermione freezes. Yeah, she was upset, but not by Krum kissing Lavender…

"I should have come to check on you before. It shouldn't have been Ron. Obviously he said something to make you angry, and then to walk in on Lavender and me… I'm really sorry."

"Viktor," says Hermione before clearing her throat. How can she possibly explain? "It's okay. We're not exclusive or anything."

"I know," he says, his voice soft. Nervous. "But we could be."

Hermione pauses and looks up at Krum. His eyebrows raised in question. "Wait, what?"

"If you want to. I mean, clearly we get along and have fun together. I know I didn't want anything serious to begin with, but maybe that's changed now. I would have much preferred to be kissing you back there, not Lavender."

Her gut instinct is to tell him no — she wants nothing more than friends with benefits, she never agreed to exclusivity in the first place. It might have been clear before, but it's even more evident now that her motives for being with Krum border on selfish. No matter how much she denies it, she wanted to make Ron jealous.

But obviously, it didn't work. She could tell by Lavender's muffled laughter from the living room and the way she called him Won Won — girls don't just throw out nicknames like that without some sort of positive feedback. Ron clearly likes Lavender, and there's nothing Hermione can do about it.

"Hermione?" asks Krum, his fingers rubbing her back gently, but expectantly.

She wishes she had more time to sort out her options, to make a pro and con list. To be exclusive, or not to be?

"Yeah. I do want that."

The words feel foreign in her mouth, but it has to be the right choice. Things might be great with Krum. He's available, and if things do go south, it won't blow up her living situation. She has to get over Ron, and focusing her energy on Krum is probably the best way to do that. The other option is being single.

Ron's not going to be hers either way.

Krum silences her spinning thoughts with a kiss, and Hermione can tell he's smiling through it.

See, this is good. She would have hurt him if she'd said no.

The kiss intensifies as Krum flips her onto her back, his hands sliding up her sides to caress underneath her shirt. "I'm so glad you said yes."

Me too, she wants to say, she should say. But she doesn't.

Instead, she does her very best to get lost in the sheets with Viktor, her boyfriend, pushing a certain red-haired roommate to the back corners of her mind.

x

The next morning, Hermione awakes to blinding sunlight, a pounding headache, and a dry throat, evidence of a little too much to drink the night before. She turns over and groans, awaking the man beside her, who appears just as hungover and miserable as she. His dark hair is disheveled, there are thick circles under his eyes, and his lips are chapped with dehydration.

"Fuck, I need some water." Krum turns onto his side and snakes a hand around Hermione, pulling her close to him. "Nothing good happens after midnight," he mutters into her hair.

His words ignite a chain reaction of memories from the previous day. The shooting range. The power outage. Then the drinking.

Ron and Hermione arguing. Lavender and Krum kissing. Hermione's emotional outburst. Krum's assumption that it meant she had stronger feelings for him.

She agreed to be Krum's girlfriend.

There's a moment of panic when Krum's lips brush against her forehead and he whispers, "Well, one good thing happened."

His lips travel to hers, capturing her in a kiss that she doesn't return. He pauses, before pulling away. "Are you okay, 'Mione?"

Krums use of a nickname instantly makes her shudder. Not that she's against nicknames, she just never thought she'd hear one from Viktor. It doesn't sound right coming from him. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just need some water."

Hermione slides out of bed and takes a moment to regain her composure. She's still disoriented from the night before and unsteady on her feet, and it takes a few focused steps forward to reach the door without stumbling.

Her heart is pounding when she reaches the kitchen — either her body really wants to be in bed, or she's staving off a panic attack. She fumbles for a glass in the cabinet, paces over to the sink, and fills it up, her hand trembling under the stream of water.

It takes her two seconds to finish a glass, which barely quenches her thirst. She fills it up again.

"Someone's thirsty," comes Ron's familiar voice behind her.

Hermione turns to see her roommate taking a seat at the barstool. His hair is messy, just like Krum's, and his eyes are bloodshot, suggesting he's been awake all night. The image of Ron and Lavender comes to mind, creating a jealous knot in her stomach. Not that she has any leg to stand on, unfortunately.

"Long night?" he presses.

"Yeah," she says. "Too much to drink."

"Happens to the best of us. I'll heat up some water for tea."

Ron rises to his feet and makes his way to the stove, where there's a tea kettle. The power is still out, so he pulls a lighter from his pocket to help ignite the stove.

"Morning, Ron." Viktor Krum has emerged from the bedroom. "Morning, babe."

Hermione's face heats up the moment Krum utters 'babe'; his confident use of the pet name feels like a spotlight on her, even more so when Ron whips his head around to face Hermione.

"Babe? That's a new one."

Krum approaches Hermione and wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. "Well, Hermione and I made things official last night."

Hermione looks at Ron, his piercing blue eyes boring into hers. "That true?"

She nodded, slowly, uncomfortable under his intense stare. "Yeah. It's true."

"Well," he continues, his voice stiff. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you!' Krum beams, oblivious to Ron's stiff tone. "Where's Lavender?"

There's an extended, tense silence as Ron shifts uncomfortably, his gaze dropping to the floor. "She left."

"What?" asks Hermione.

"She left," repeats Ron, with emphasis this time. "We ended things last night, and she left."

"Oh no… why?" asks Krum.

Ron shrugs and turns his gaze back to Hermione. "Turns out we wanted different things."

"I'm sorry to hear that," says Krum. "That's rough timing."

"Rough timing, indeed." Ron's eyes never leave Hermione's.

"Well, we better get packed up," says Hermione with a pat on Krum's chest.

Hermione slithers out of Krum's embrace to head back to the bedroom. She needs to get out of here. This cabin weekend needs to be over.

She was so sure that Ron and Lavender were getting on fine. If she had known they'd break up…

No. She can't think like that. It's not fair to Krum. Ron may be single, but she's not. Not anymore.

Even if she was, Ron is her roommate, and he was off-limits from the start.

She ignores the contradicting voice in her head that says her rules are arbitrary, that she can date her roommate if she wants to, that it won't lead to a crumbling disaster, and she doesn't need to be with Krum. That's not her logical brain speaking.

She'll get over him — she has to. She has a boyfriend now.