In The Common Room

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Hermione Granger was sitting in the library for the fifth consecutive day in a row. Not as if this was abnormal for her, as she naturally spent a lot of time on her homework being the bookworm she was, but rather it was odd because she was avoiding one of the best friends in her entire life—Ron Weasley.

Ron had been acting very oddly lately, and Hermione had been feeling as though he was trying to control her life. But now more than ever, thanks to her other best friend Harry Potter and his quiet observations, she realized how wrong she was about the entire situation. Imagine that, Hermione Granger, mistaken about something. The entire thought of that threw her off topic and cast her into a whole new series of thoughts about Ron.

She could see him vividly in her mind’s eye—the bright red hair that was the Weasley token trademark which he messed up whenever particularly nervous or proud; his ridiculous amount of freckles covering his face like a plague and the sparkle he got in his eyes whenever he thought of something particularly awe inspiring to himself. There was something more she felt when she thought about him, but at this very moment, she could not tell what it was. And that was what was making her so confused about the situation. Why did she get butterflies in her stomach lately whenever she tried to be in the same room as him?

He is confused about his feelings towards you, Harry had told her when she’d asked him what Ron’s problem. And in that one little statement, things suddenly became more vivid than ever before, and yet much more confusing at the same time. It had rattled her brain quite nicely, and now she found herself asking deep down if she had the same sort of feelings for Ron. What if she did? It would make everything different, that’s for sure. They would go from being friends to boyfriend and girlfriend, and then what about Harry? He needed them now more than ever. What if he got jealous or angry at them for having each other? And what if Harry didn’t even know Ron’s true feelings towards her and instead, Ron truly was beginning to hate her?

Her stomach turned within her at so many questions spilling from her mind, and she forced the wave of nervousness down as she tried to pick up her quill and get back to her homework, which she had barely touched the entire evening. Arithmancy, however interesting she normally found it, had no appeal to her this evening whatsoever.

She watched as Ron’s sister Ginny and Dean Thomas, a boy in Hermione’s year, walk through the main doors of the library and sit down at a table near to her. She waved at Ginny lazily and then tried to get back to the matter at hand. Ron.

The Halloween Ball was just one short day away, and Hermione had already agreed to go with Andrew Spinnet, a boy she had become friends with in Arithmancy. He was nice and she liked how well they got along, but now all she could think about was Ron and his stupid, glowering face when she had told him she was going with Andrew. Somewhere off to the side of her, Ginny giggled quietly, breaking Hermione from her flow of thoughts once more.

Harry’s right, she thought, I do need to talk to Ron about everything. But how on earth do I get him alone? This was an obstacle that Hermione had not prepared herself for. She had always thought herself to be rather good at understanding other people’s feelings, but when it came to Ron lately, she was completely stumped. And this was what had frustrated her most of all.

Getting up at last after what seemed like hours of brooding, Hermione pushed her books and quill into her bag and headed for the Gryffindor Common Room. She knew it was already very late, and she knew that both Harry and Ron were probably already up in their dormitories sleeping. She waved at Ginny and Dean as she left the library, smiling at a grumpy looking Madam Pince.

Just as she had suspected, the Common Room was fairly quiet, with the odd student here or there reading over books or finishing up last minute notes on their essays. Hermione turned and made her way up the stairs to her dormitory. Her roommates were already asleep, and Hermione changed into her bedclothes and slipped into the welcoming covers of her bed. Although she should have been excited for the Halloween Ball tomorrow, all she could think of was what she was going to say to Ron and how she was going to do it. After what seemed like an eternity, her eyelids finally became heavy and she drifted into a troubled sleep…

* * *

“Is she ever going to get out of bed?� Hermione heard a familiar voice ask in an overly loud whisper. “It’s already almost noon!�

“I’m up,� said Hermione groggily as she opened her eyes and allowed them to focus on Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who were fussing over a very pretty set of silvery dress robes.

“Good morning,� said Parvati with a pretty smile. “How late were you up until?�

“Late,� said Hermione as she sat up in bed. “I don’t know the exact time. But the library was still open.�

“Probably out cavorting with Harry,� said Lavender with a stifled giggle.

Parvati arched an eyebrow in Hermione’s direction.

“Were you?� she asked.

“No,� said Hermione with a note of disapproval in her voice. “You both know that Harry is just my friend.�

“Oh I know,� said Lavender quickly with a mischievous grin across her face. “I just wanted to bug you a bit, that’s all.�

“Oh,� said Hermione as she stretched her arms out high to the ceiling, “it’s much appreciated, trust me.�

Lavender smiled for a moment and then turned back to the robes in front of the two girls.

“Pure silk,� she said with a hint of pride. “My father had it shipped in from America.�

“What are you going to do with pure silk dress robes?� asked Parvati curiously. “I mean, after the ball, and all. It’s not like we have that many formal events here.�

“I know that,� said Lavender. “But who knows where I might wear these after graduation next year? The possibilities are endless.�

Parvati looked at Hermione solemnly and rolled her eyes.

“Right,� she said, turning to Lavender. “They are very nice, though.�

“Thanks,� said Lavender happily. “What are you gonna wear tonight Hermione?�

“I have a set of green robes that my mom and dad bought for me for my birthday,� replied Hermione casually.

“Oooooh,� said Lavender, obviously excited. “And how are you going to do your hair?�

“I don’t know yet,� said Hermione honestly.

“Ringlets,� said Lavender matter-of-factly. “Those will work wonders with your type of hair.�

“If you say so,� said Hermione, looking out of the corner of her eye at the bushy mess of air that sat upon her shoulders.

“Me and Parvati will help you with them,� offered Lavender as Parvati nodded enthusiastically. One thing Hermione noticed about other girls her age was how much they loved doing each others’ hair.

“Sure,� said Hermione, appreciating the gesture.

“I just have to do my own hair first,� said Lavender, smiling. “But that shouldn’t take too long.�

“That’s fine,� said Hermione, putting on her clothes for the day she knew she was going to spend once again in the library. She didn’t have to meet Andrew until later on, and she really did want to at least try to finish up the Arithmancy studies she was working on last night. She got up, brushed her hair and headed for the door. “Thanks so much, you guys, I’ll see you later.�

“Bye Hermione,� Lavender and Parvati said together before once again turning to Lavender’s dress robes.

Hermione had Ron on the brain again, and she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she would get a chance to dance with him. That way, she thought, I could talk to him. It would be the easiest way. However, just the thought of her saying whatever it was she wanted to say to Ron, made her uneasy and the fear of some sort of demented rejection swept over her. This was going to be much more difficult than she had expected.

“Harry!� said an all-too-familiar voice from the Common Room as Hermione descended the steps, making her stop all together in her tracks.

“What?� said Harry, sounding a bit concerned despite his obvious efforts to sound nonchalant.

“I think I’ve thought of someone I can ask!� said Ron, sounding slightly hopeless despite himself.

“Who?� asked Harry.

“Lisa Turpin!� declared Ron happily.

“The Ravenclaw girl?� asked Harry curiously.

“Yeah,� said Ron, now completely proud of himself.

“Isn’t she going—,� began Harry, but he stopped himself mid-sentence.

“Who?� asked Ron, sounding desperate. “Who is she going with?!�

“I think she is going with that bloke from Ravenclaw who’s a year ahead of her…you know, the one who is always watching us play Quidditch during our practices?�

“Ryan Masters?� asked Ron, disgusted.

“Yeah, that’s it,� said Harry.

“That git?� asked Ron angrily. “The one who seems to spend more time looking at himself in a mirror than at anything else?�

“Yeah,� agreed Harry. “He’s also the one who has that odd hairstyle. It’s all flowy and whatnot.�

“Yuck,� said Ron, disgusted. “Oh well, mate. Wanna come down to the Great Hall to see if we can find anyone?�

“I guess,� said Harry encouragingly. “And while we’re down there, do you think we could get some food.�

“It depends,� said Ron quickly as Hermione listened to them get up off the couches they had been sitting on.

“On what?� asked Harry.

“On whether or not I find a date,� replied Ron, causing Harry to groan before following his friend out the portrait hole.

Hermione’s heart was racing. That was the first time she had even seen Ron outside of their classes together. She couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned as to who Ron was taking to the ball, because she knew that depending on who it was, she may not get her chance to dance with him.

She made her way down to the library, obviously not going to the Great Hall for fear of running into Ron and Harry, and sat down at the first empty table she could find. She needed just a few more hours to think things over…and to convince herself that Ron may have the kind of feelings for her that she was beginning to want him to have.

* * *

The time had come. Hermione knew that she was going to have to leave her brooding spot and make her way up to her dormitory and begin getting ready to meet Andrew at the bottom of the stairs. She had once again gotten absolutely nothing done when it came to homework, but she believed she had convinced herself that talking to Ron was the best thing she could possibly do for their friendship. She just hoped it didn’t end the friendship completely…

Lavender and Parvati were getting ready already when Hermione walked into the dorm. Parvati smiled at Hermione as she walked in and Lavender waved a greeting from the mirror at which she was setting her hair into a complex series of knots at the back of her head. Parvati looked to be almost finished getting ready, only needing to place her robes on.

“Are you excited?� asked Parvati enthusiastically.

“For the ball?� asked Hermione absently.

“Of course,� said Parvati with a smile.

“Yeah,� replied Hermione. “You?�

“I guess,� said Parvati. “The guy I wanted to ask originally was already going with someone, so I had decided to go with a boy from Hufflepuff instead. He’s nice enough, but he’s not the one I wanted to go with.�

“I see,� said Hermione as she set out her dress robes on her bed and got down on her knees to look for the pair of shoes she had decided on wearing. “What about you Lavender?�

“I’m going with Seamus,� she answered with a giggle. “He’s such a nice guy.�

Hermione stooped down lower to search the full length of the space under her bed. Finally seeing the shoes she wanted, she reached under and placed them satisfactorily on the bed next to her robes.

“Shoot!� said Lavender before Hermione could say anything else to her.

“What is it?� asked Parvati as she finished tying up the back of her robes.

“This is the wrong spray!!� Lavender exclaimed, near to tears.

Hermione looked at the back of her head and suddenly saw what she meant. A large, dark black shiny spot looked as if it had been spray painted onto her hair.

“I used your spray!!� said Lavender, her eyes wide in horror. “I can’t go the ball like this.�

Parvati and Hermione both rushed over to see exactly what Lavender had put in her hair. Lavender handed them a bottle titled Dr. Calamister’s Aquilus Shine Enhancer.

“Oh no,� said Parvati looking up at Hermione.

“Oh no what?!� said a now thoroughly panicked Lavender.

“Nothing,� said Parvati putting on a brave face. “I am sure once this washes out you will be fine.�

Despite this reassurance, Hermione was quite sure she could smell burnt hair in the air.

“Go wash it out quickly,� said Parvati as she pushed Lavender out of her seat and towards the door. “We will be here to help you as soon as you get back.�

“Alright,� said Lavender wearily as she headed out the door, closing it behind her.

Parvati turned on Hermione with a very concerned face.

“What was that stuff?� asked Hermione, estranged with the magical hair products out there.

“Dr. Calamister’s?� asked Parvati. “It’s a special product for people with very dark hair. It’s curls you hair once you get out of the shower and makes it really shiny. But…�

“But what?� asked Hermione, fearing for Lavender’s hair.

“It’s not supposed to be used on people with such light hair, it’s too easy to damage� replied Parvati, touching her long, almost black hair so Hermione saw the full tragedy of the situation.

“It burnt her hair, didn’t it?� asked Hermione.

“Yep,� said Parvati. “Any minute now…�

Before Parvati could even continue, a very loud scream came from the girl’s washroom, followed by a series of mournful wails.

“Is there anything we can do?� asked Hermione.

“I don’t know any hair regrowth spells, do you?� asked Parvati. “It’s not something that they teach you every day in school.�

“Regrowth?� said Hermione, more to herself than to Parvati. She thought hard as to anything she had ever read in a book and suddenly she had an idea.

Parvati noticed her face and turned hopefully to her. “What is it?�

“I need a book,� said Hermione quickly. “Can you get it for me?�

“Do you think the library will be open right now?� asked Parvati eagerly.

“I don’t see why not,� said Hermione, grabbing a piece of paper and writing something down quickly on it. “Here.� She handed the paper to Parvati.

“Anything else?� asked Parvati with a gracious grin.

“If you see Andrew,� said Hermione, “Tell him to please come up here to wait for me.�

“To the common room?� asked Parvati, surprised.

“No,� said Hermione quickly. “Just at the stairs below the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Right,� said Parvati. “I’ll be back right away.�

Hermione watched Parvati run down the stairs before rushing to the bathroom. Lavender was sitting near one of the sinks, her eyes wet with tears.

“It’s burnt,� she said in a small voice.

“I think I’ve thought of something we can do to grow it back.�

“Really?� asked Lavender, her eyes brightening immensely.

“Yes,� said Hermione. “But it’s gonna take Parvati a bit of time to go grab the book. Can you wait?�

“Of course,� said Lavender, getting up and placing a towel around her dripping head of half-burnt hair.

“Let’s get back to our dorm then, so when Parvati comes back we will be completely ready to cast the spell.�

“Thanks,� said Lavender, following Hermione out of the room. “You’re a lifesaver.�

Upon getting back to the dorm, Lavender sat Hermione down and began doing her hair in pretty, frizzless curls. Noticing how pretty it was, Hermione found herself wishing that she would have time to do fun things with her hair like this all the time. But it was too much of a bother, and she constantly had more important things to do with her time. She watched as Lavender pulled her hair up and began securing it to her head with little pins. She beamed at the end result.

“Thanks,� said Hermione gratefully as she pulled her dress robes on. “Now we just have to—“

“Found it!� exclaimed Parvati as she burst into the room, causing Hermione to fall over onto her bed in surprise. “Sorry,� she added as she noticed what had just happened.

“It’s ok,� said Hermione as she finished putting on her robes and zipped them up her back.

“Is this the one?� asked Parvati as she walked across the room and placed the book on the bed where Hermione was now sitting.

Hermione picked up the book and read the bold letters that were spread out across the front: A Guide to Reversing the Nastier Effects of Magic. She instantly opened the book and began skimming through the pages.

“How did you know to look in this book?� asked Parvati, still out of breath from running.

“Remember in fourth year when Draco Malfoy hit me with that curse?� asked Hermione, still skimming.

“How could we forget?� replied Parvati. “He made your teeth grow one hundred times their original size!�

“Exactly,� said Hermione. “Madam Pomfrey used this book when I was in the infirmary trying to get fixed.

“You’re a bloody genius!� exclaimed Parvati with a wide grin. “Oh, I saw Andrew. He’s gonna wait for you where you told him to.�

“Great,� said Hermione appreciatively. “Thanks.�

“It’s the least I can do,� said Parvati. “Lavender would have done the same.�

“Right,� said Hermione, concentrating on the pages before her. “Now all I need to do is find the spell.�

* * *

Hermione smiled once more as she looked over her quick work. Not only was Lavender’s hair fully restored to the way it was before, but she had also added a temporary shin spell to make her hair take the little intricate knots much better.

“Thanks,� said Lavender as she slipped into her silk robes.

“No problem,� replied Hermione as she turned to leave. “Not let’s get down there before the ball starts with out us!�

Andrew was indeed waiting by the stairs as she had requested and he smiled at her as she walked towards him.

“You look beautiful,� he said.

“Thanks,� replied Hermione, awkwardly.

“What took you so long?� he asked.

“It’s a long story,� she said.

“I’ve got a bit of time,� said Andrew as they began making their way quickly to the Great Hall. Hermione began telling her tale.

The Great Hall looked absolutely breathtaking, close to the beauty of the Christmas decorations that were put up every year. There were pumpkins carved in the most elaborate patterns, and many tiny candles floated above her and Andrew’s head as they wandered through the large entrance doors.

“And then,� said Hermione quietly as she leaned in to tell Andrew the last bits of her story, “it singed most of it off.�

“Really?� asked Andrew with a laugh.

“Yes,� said Hermione with a huge smile at her poor friend’s misery, not being able to avoid the humor in the now fixed situation. “We had to get a spell book to fix it. And that’s when Parvati ran into you.�

“Lucky she did,� he replied laughing.

Hermione allowed her eyes to scan the room and suddenly she saw Ron, staring back at her. Her stomach seemed to do a sudden acrobatic flip and she felt a bit light headed. But instead of turning away quickly, she kept her eyes on his for a few moments, wondering what he was thinking, and then turned back to Andrew so they could work together on finding a table. She couldn’t yet gain the courage to talk to Ron about anything.

The meal went by quickly, as both she and Andrew spoke enthusiastically about the classes they were taking this year. Andrew was a nice boy, she knew that, but now that Ron had turned her life upside-down, she couldn’t see Andrew as anything more than a good friend. She has the odd sneaking suspicion, however, that he didn’t feel the same.

She watched as their headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, rose from the table at the head of the Hall and ginned at all of the students.

He gave all of them a wide smile and took the hand of Hermione’s favorite teacher, Professor McGonagall, who smiled prettily and followed him to the dance floor. Quickly the band came out in front of the head table and began playing the first smooth song of the Ball. Hermione watched as several student couples joined Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

Andrew held out his hand and Hermione took it, following him to place on the dance floor not too far from both Harry and Ron. Hermione watched as Harry and Hannah Abbot, his date, walked onto the floor beside them and noticed that both of them seemed to be looking for someone else at the Ball. Although Hermione knew instantly that Hannah was probably looking for her friend Terry Boot, she had no idea who Harry was looking for.

She also glanced quickly in Ron’s direction and noticed the large scowl on his ace as he watched her dance with Andrew and it suddenly made her feel slight uncomfortable and slightly hopeful at the same time—if Ron was looking like that at her and her date, it may mean that Harry was right after all.

The dance was progressing quickly, and Hermione still had not gotten up the courage to ask Ron for a dance. And it seemed that the longer she debated what to do, the nastier the look on Ron’s face looked. She was beginning to think that perhaps her and Andrew should dance somewhere else, and steered Andrew over to the punch bowl she had seen across the room. They quickly ended up back in the same spot where they were before, as it was the one closest to their table.

A quicker tune was struck by the band and Harry and Hannah once more made their way towards Hermione and her date. Andrew kept making jokes about burnt hair, making Hermione smile constantly as she thought about the incident over and over again. Although there was an important reconciliation with her best friend along the way, Hermione tried her best to just think of other, funnier thing in the meantime.

Hermione watched as a younger Ravenclaw girl went up to Ron and asked him to dance, and she found herself looking dismally in Harry’s direction. Harry immediately said something to his date and headed for her direction.

“Do you mind if I dance with Harry?� she whispered to Andrew politely.

“Harry?� he said uneasily. “Yeah, I guess…�

“Thanks,� she said, walking away from him and taking Harry’s hand gratefully.

“I’m worried about Ron,� she said so quickly it was hard to understand.

Harry looked at her as though thinking hard.

“Have you talked to him yet?� he said quietly.

She suspected he already knew the answer to the question, but answered him anyway. “I haven’t had the chance. I don’t know what to say.�

“I think he is close to giving up on the situation anyways,� Harry said, making Hermione suddenly feel desperate and worried at once.

“Giving up?� she asked, absolutely confused. “How can you give up on something that you haven’t even started?�

Harry arched an eyebrow at her, making his telltale scare crinkle with his forehead. He looked at her sincerely with his green eyes.

“I’m not sure,’ he said. “But you know how he can be sometimes.�

“That’s what I am afraid of,� said Hermione almost silently. She found herself suddenly looking for Ron, afraid that he may already be thinking of someone else in some other situation.

Hermione squeezed Harry’s arm as the song ended, and she made her way back towards Andrew. He looked at her happily and pulled her towards him closely, making her feel slightly awkward. He placed his arm around her protectively and led her onto the dance floor.

They began dancing once more and she was once more enjoying Andrew company when he pulled her close towards him, placing his hand on the small of her back.

“Your hair doesn’t smell burnt, you know,� he said with a laugh, causing her to smile slightly too, although much too concerned with the reaction she was going to get form Ron if he was around. What if he thought something was going on between them? She bit her lip and tried to pull back slightly from Andrew.

As she made this attempt, something raced past her, so close she was almost struck by the speeding thing. As her eyes focused on the shape now flying away from her, she at once recognized the Weasley hair and whipped around to look at Harry, who looked like he was at a complete loss for words.

“I have to go after him,� said Hermione softly to Andrew, who nodded understandingly.

“I thought that might happen,� he replied. “I just thought it was going to be Harry who you were running after.� Hermione smiled up at Andrew with appreciation and turned quickly, running as fast as she could in the direction Ron went in.

She suspected he probably would head up to the Common Room, and hoped with all of her might that he wouldn’t have already gone to bed, because she knew that she wouldn’t be able to talk to him then.

Much to her surprise and relief, Ron was sitting in the Common Room, his head sitting, defeated, in his large hands. She quietly walked towards him, unsure of what to say or how to even go about talking to him.

“Ron,� she said as softly as she could.

“Get lost,� he said angrily. Hermione noticed that his voice sounded quivery and she pulled out her wand, dimming the lights in the entire room so that if he were crying or showing any sign of emotion, she wouldn’t intimidate him in the bright light. She took a seat across from him and leaned forward.

“Ron,� she repeated. “Why did you leave the Ball?�

“I didn’t have a date,� he replied miserably. It broke Hermione’s heart to hear her best friend so down.

“You could have danced with me,� she said encouragingly. Apparently, this had hit something deep, because he let out a deep sigh and was silent for what seemed like forever.

“No,� he said weakly. “You looked like you were having so much fun with your date. And I didn’t wanna disturb you…�

“Oh,� said Hermione quickly, so that he could continue.

“You looked so happy,� he said slowly, “and I was just angry that it wasn’t…�

Hermione waited for him to finish but he stayed silent.

“You were angry it wasn’t what?� she asked, suddenly so afraid of what he may or may not say.

Ron’s hands dropped down to his sides and he looked up to face her. She was startled at how close his face was to hers and also by the fact that his eyes were wet. He hadn’t been crying, but he was close to it.

“I was angry it wasn’t me,� he said, looking her in the eyes.

There was an odd silence between them in which Hermione thought her heart had just exploded with happiness, and yet she wasn’t quite sure what he meant.

“You wished you would have been as happy as me with a date for yourself?� she asked, trying her best to get rid of any misunderstandings.

Ron looked at her quickly and rose from the chair he was sitting in, making his way to the fireplace. “No,� he said.

Hermione suddenly knew hat she meant and wondered what to do with this situation. She rose slowly from the chair she was sitting in, her robes flowing about her like magic. She took little, cautious steps in Ron’s direction and stopped behind him, watching his back move slightly as he breathed. She suddenly had the urge to warp her arms around him and hug him so hard that he lost his breath, but restrained herself.

“Ron,� she started again, looking at the back of his head and noticing how tall he was. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? “Why not just tell me what you are thinking deep down at this very moment?�

She watched as he put his arm out to the mantle, and shakily turning so that he towered above her, looking down. Her heart jumped into her mouth and she suddenly knew what she had known deep down all along—that she indeed love Ron as so much more than the best friend she knew him as. She felt so light headed that she stumbled forward. He put his other hand on her shoulder and steadied her, moving his hand up to her chin and forcing her to look in his direction.

“Hermione Granger,� he said. “I love you more than anything else I can think of.�

Hermione’s eyes filled with tears of happiness. “Ron,� she said through tears.

But before she could say anything more they locked eyes and he wrapped both of his arms around her, pulling her close to him so that she was standing on her tiptoes. She closed her eyes instinctively, feeling her wet eyelashes brush the skin under her eyes. And before she knew it, Ron’s lips touched hers, in an obvious kiss.

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A/N: I have been reading a lot of Hermione/Ron ships and thought that I should attempt to make my own through my main storyline. I know it was kind of short, but the rest of the story, from Harry’s point of view, can be read on my main story, Harry Potter and the Vision of Light. Hope you enjoyed this one and please feel free to review! ^_^