Neither of them could move. Harry stood moving his jaw, trying to speak. Ron began walking over to him, and said, “Harry”” but was interrupted by Harry shouting, “Keep those gloves away from me! What were you two doing?”
Hermione looked nervously over at Ron, who was pulling off the gloves and motioning his hands to the toilet, saying, “I was helping her…go.”
Harry was in a state to not notice Ron saying “her” and quickly added, “Sorry! Your business is your business!” He began to leave, but Ron and Hermione pulled him back.
“No, Harry!” Hermione inferred. “It’s not what you think!”
“What’s to think?” he asked. “Hermione just told me what you were doing. I’m not really sure why you need help in the first place, but it obviously has something to do with your relationship.” He turned to who he thought was Hermione, saying, “You were right, Hermione. I didn’t want to see it.” Hermione bit her lower lip, but immediately loosened her grip as her and Ron exchanged anxious glances. “I have to go.”
“Well have at it,” said Ron, avoiding any long direct eye contact with Harry. "There's seven other cubicles."
“Not that kind of go.”
Harry started to leave again, but he felt a petite hand grab his shoulder.
“No, mate,” Ron began, “you’re staying here.”
“We have to tell you something, Harry,” Hermione informed.
“I already know.”
“You do?” the two asked in unison.
“Yeah, I should’ve known. It’s”now”completely obvious. I mean Parvati and Lavender mentioned it, but I didn’t think it was true.”
Hermione sent Harry one of Ron’s perplexed facial expressions, and stated, “Harry, I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing.”
“This incident tells me otherwise, but you two aren’t…together?”
Hermione moved closer to Harry, and snorted, “Oh, my gosh, Harry, no! No, no. You’ve got to be joking!”
Ron jerked his head towards Hermione with an irritated look as Harry took a step backwards and asked, “Ron, could you keep your distance for awhile, mate? It was odd enough having you hug me up in the dormitory…and now this.” Ron now glared his eyes at Hermione, who began biting her lower lip. “You’re acting so different lately, and besides, I thought you fancy””
“We’re not who you think!” Ron intervened extremely pink the face.
“What are you talking about, Hermione?”
“See,” Hermione sighed, “that’s the thing. That’s not Hermione.”
Harry eyed Ron up and down and said, “She sure looks like Hermione.”
“I, for one, am not a ‘she’!” Ron insisted.
“Sounds like her, too.”
“Bloody hell, you’re right. I’m turning into you!” Ron exclaimed at Hermione with a dramatically sorrow expression.
“Oh, stop it,” Hermione demanded, turning back to Harry. “As you can hopefully tell, that is not me, Harry,” Hermione assured. “That’s Ron.”
Ron nodded his head incessantly. Playing along, Harry joked, “And…so you’re…”
“Hermione.”
“Right, sure. You guys don’t have to cover up to facts””
“You remember the time we were up in the dorms, and you had a little too much Butterbeer?” Ron asked quickly. “And you ended up running around with your pants on your head?” Harry turned to Ron with his eyes protruding from his head. “You ran around shouting, ‘I am Sir Harry, Keeper of Pants and Tiny Knickers’.”
Hermione did her best to hide her sniggers, and contained herself by saying, “So…Sir Harry…do you believe us now?”
He wasn’t sure what to think. Was this a practical joke Ron and Hermione were playing on him? If it was, how could Ron tell Hermione that embarrassing moment from their adolescent past? And if Ron really was Hermione, why the bloody hell did he just mention that in front of her? Harry continued to stare at Hermione, who bit her lower lip to hide her smiles. She expected Ron to start another row with her on how it’s important to keep your bottom lip your entire life”but he didn’t. He just stood silently. Hermione brought her attention back to Harry, and again asked, “So do you believe us?”
“I…” he began, looking back and forth at the two, “Yeah, I do.”
With an eccentric sigh Hermione exclaimed, “Thank goodness! It was so hard trying to keep this from you””
“You mean you weren’t going to tell me?”
“We wanted to, but we knew you wouldn’t believe us! And by the way this began, I proved myself right.”
“Another magnificent theory proven right by Hermione Granger,” Ron mumbled.
Hermione glanced over at Ron and noticed he seemed more interested with the floor.
“Are you okay?”
He hadn’t realised the question was directed towards him until a few moments later.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he finally answered.
Hermione wasn’t convinced. Something bothered him, and she wanted to know what.
“You know what?” Harry asked, directing the question towards Ron.
“What?” Ron replied.
“Since Hermione saw me dressing this morning, don’t you think it’s only fair to see her?”
A light lit on in Ron’s head, and he answered, “You know, you’re right.”
Harry and Ron began to leave the lavatory as Hermione shouted, “What? I don’t think so! Ron, don’t you dare!”
The two amused boys and one anxious girl left the lavatory, not knowing who they were bound to walk in to.