Chapter 104
"Come on, Hermione," Ron said. "Let's get out of the castle, it's too crowded."
"I have to study," Hermione replied, sitting in a chair by the fire and pulling her feet up.
"You're always studying!" Ron protested. "Besides, don't you usually do that in the library?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at him.
"It's too crowded," she replied.
"And the common room isn't?" Ron asked.
"Come on guys," Harry said, growing weary of their arguing. "Quit fighting."
"I'm perfectly comfortable right here," Hermione said.
"Fine," Ron replied. "I just thought you might want some fresh air. You've hardly been outside. Come with us. You can study by the lake."
Hermione groaned. Of course he'd be wanting to go down to the lake, she thought, rolling her eyes. He's hoping maybe he'll see Viktor and get a chance to get his autograph. He never shut up about it.
"All right, fine!" Hermione said at last and jumped up, slamming her book shut and shoving it under her arm. "Though I don't see why I have to hold your hand."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked in confusion.
"Nothing, never mind," she replied and headed for the door before turning back. "Well, are you coming or what?"
Ron smirked and turned to Harry.
"Told you I'd get her to go," he said.
"I'm leaving now!" Hermione called and headed out the portrait hole.
It wasn't long that Harry, Ron and Hermione found a spot along the lake shore that looked like it had a well travelled path and was near to Durmstrang ship without being too obvious. Hermione sat between them, using them to shield her book from the wind as she opened it to read. She hoped that Viktor didn't show up, or that he went the other direction, but her hopes were soon dashed when Ron perked up, and she glanced up to see Viktor was indeed passing them on what appeared to be his daily routine, a gaggle of giggling girls following close behind.
He turned and saw her, and she gave him a dirty look before turning back to her book, wanting to hit Ron for dragging her down here when all he did was sit there and gaze longingly after the seeker he had idolised all year, but didn't move to even talk to him. Hermione shook her head, rolling her eyes. Even the gaggle of girls got closer to Viktor than the red-head beside her ever did.
She glanced after him again, wondering if Ginny was right that he hadn't asked anyone else to the Yule Ball yet. Was that what those girls were hoping for? Had Ginny witnessed this once before, the way he ignored them? She couldn't be sure, but she hoped her friend was right. Time was running out and no one else had even approached to ask her. She had thought maybe Ron or Harry would have, even if they just went as friends, but neither had said a word to her about it.
"Will you calm down?" Ginny asked when she and Hermione talked about the coming ball and had told her that no one else had asked her yet and time was running out, it was already the 19th after all.
"But what if he's changed his mind?" Hermione replied. "What if he doesn't show up, or worse, what if he shows up with someone else?"
"Mione," Ginny said. "Do not spoil this for me!"
Hermione blinked.
"Spoil what?" she asked.
"I was going to tell you something, but now I'm not so sure..." Ginny replied.
"No, I'm sorry," Hermione said. "All this time it's been about me, and what I'm worried about that may or may not happen, and here you've been trying to support me and I've been wretched. Please tell me."
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, looking at her sceptically. "You won't get all depressed or anything with what I tell you?"
"No, I don't think so," Hermione said. "But I can't make any guarantees."
"Oh, okay," Ginny said. "But you'll at least try not to?"
Hermione nodded.
"Okay," Ginny said and grinned. "I got asked to the Yule Ball, too!"
"Really!" Hermione asked. "That's great! Who asked you?"
"Neville," Ginny said and blushed.
"Oh, that's great, Gin," Hermione said and hugged her friend.
Ginny shrugged.
"He's not really my type or who I thought would ask first, but I figured he'd gotten up the courage to ask, so why not?" Ginny replied. "I mean, he's nice enough, you know?"
Yes, Neville was nice, nice enough that Hermione had to admit, even if just to herself, that she would have done the same. She fought with a smile for her friend's sake. She was truly happy that she'd been asked, but it did make her feel a little down that she didn't even know where she stood with Viktor, perhaps Ginny had been wrong. Maybe she shouldn't have held onto her anger with him for so long.
"Come with me," Professor Snape said on Friday after he'd taken roll in the dungeon and led them up to one of the warmer rooms in the castle, tired of hearing their teeth chatter. "While it may be against my better judgement," Professor Snape said when they arrived in the classroom that was warmed by hanging braziers. "You may sit where you like. You'll be using anti-cheating quills, and be doing a written test on Antidotes. You may leave when you're done. Get to work."
Hermione wished they'd been in the dungeons actually working on a potion since it would have taken her mind off the worry of whether or not Viktor had invited someone else. She was trying to focus on her work, but finding it difficult given the topic of conversation whispered between Harry and Ron.
"This is mad," Ron said, looking around. "At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates."
She tried not to laugh when Professor Snape came up and pushed him toward his paper he should have been writing as he patrolled the classroom surveying everyone's work, and Ron grunted.
"Well, us and Neville," Ron said with a laugh when Professor Snape continued down the aisle.
"Yeah, but, then again, he can take himself," Harry replied with a laugh.
"It might interest you to know," Hermione said, looking over at them. "That Neville's already got someone."
Ron groaned.
"Now I'm really depressed," he muttered.
Hermione blinked at the sound of a paper being tossed their way and looked down to see Ron catch a note, the text visible to her, she recognized George's handwriting.
"Who are you going with then?" Ron whispered to them.
George balled up a piece of parchment and tossed it, hitting a girl down the row and one table over, drawing her attention, and Hermione recognized her as Angelina Johnson, one of the Gryffindor chasers.
"What?" she mouthed to George, looking irritated.
"Do you - want to go - to the ball - with me?" George whispered and mimed to her in case she couldn't hear his question.
She relaxed and smiled.
"To the ball?" she asked, smiling. "Yeah, all right."
George looked over at Ron and grinned as Hermione tried to ignore them all but was failing miserably.
"Oi, Hermione," Ron said, interrupting her as she tried to focus. "You're a girl."
Hermione frowned, becoming irritated with his blundering.
"Well spotted," she replied irritably.
"Come with one of us?" Ron asked and tried miming the dance that George had to Angelina.
Hermione gasped and winced as Professor Snape came by and smacked Ron and Harry on the head with a book.
"Come on," Ron whispered when Professor Snape continued down the row once more. "It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone," he murmured. "For a girl, it's just sad."
Hermione's temper flared.
"I won't be going alone!" Hermione snapped at him, glaring. "Because, believe it or not, someone's asked me!" She moved from the table then, having finished her essay and grabbed her book, heading up to Professor Snape where she turned it into him. Heading back down the row, she grabbed her things and growled at Ron, "And I said yes!"
She spun on her heel, leaving the classroom. She couldn't believe Ron could be so thoughtless and pigheaded. Near tears, she went to the common room and waited for Ginny to get back from class.
Harry came back to the common room first, and Hermione guessed that he'd asked someone out and been turned down because he was lying on the couch with his egg staring into the fire moping. She had her own date problems to worry about, so she left him be and tried to focus on the pamphlets she was making for the twins Christmas mailing. She looked up to see Ginny coming in with Fay Dunbar who was helping her lead a pale, shocked Ron into the common room.
"It's okay, Ron," Ginny said. "It's all right. It doesn't matter."
"What happened to you?" Harry asked, snapping out of his funk.
"He just asked Fleur Delacour out," Ginny explained.
"What?" Hermione asked, rushing over in her surprise at the news.
"What did she say?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, of course," Hermione said, remembering how Ron had treated her earlier.
Ron shook his head with a grimace.
"She said yes?" Hermione asked, covering her expression with her hands.
"Don't be silly," Ron replied quietly. "There she was walking by. You know how I like it when they walk."
Harry nodded impatiently.
"I couldn't help it," Ron continued. "It just sort of slipped out."
"Actually," Ginny said, looking at Hermione. "He sort of screamed at her. It was a bit frightening."
"What did you do then?" Harry asked.
"What else?" Ron replied. "I ran for it. I'm not cut out for this, Harry. I don't know what got into me."
"Hi Harry," the Patil twins greeted as they came into the common room.
"I always liked looking at them from behind," Ron continued, but Hermione noticed Harry wasn't really paying attention, and followed the twins. She rolled her eyes wishing she could do the same, and that she hadn't let her curiosity get the better of her and come over to begin with after the way he'd treated her in class. "She's never gonna forgive me, ever."
Later that night before Ginny went off to bed, Hermione pulled her aside and told her what had happened in potions class.
"Now I feel bad for helping him up here after he made a fool of himself," Ginny replied, but then smiled at her. "So, you've decided to go to the ball with Viktor?"
"Well, to be honest, except for Ron today, no one else asked me," Hermione said. "And it was like he was asking for both him and Harry so Harry never even said anything when I told Ron I had been asked by someone else. Guess I really backed myself into a corner huh?"
"Don't worry about it, it will be fine," Ginny assured her. "Tomorrow night will be the best, you'll see."