Ron just stared at me as I walked down the stairs to the common room. I kept my head held high as I smiled down at him, eventually taking his hand.
He stammered. “You” you” you””
“You look great, Lavender,” Harry finished for him, grinning. He was wearing robes of dark green, which really brought out his eyes. Ron was wearing deep blue, and although Harry looked really good, I thought Ron looked ten times better.
“Beautiful,” Ron whispered as he kissed my cheek.
Hermione came down the stairs a few minutes later. She looked eagerly at Ron, but he didn’t even notice her. Her face fell immediately, and tears once again swelled up in her eyes.
“Nevermind, I’m not coming,” she announced stubbornly, making Ron jump and look at her.
“Come on, Hermione,” Ron said pleadingly.
“No!”
“Plea-”
“And don’t try to stop me!” Hermione stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to the dormitories.
“Hermione!”
There was no answer.
“What has gotten into her?” said Ron, staring up the stairs. He looked at Harry, who looked away.
“So let’s go, then?” I said, changing the subject. I felt very sorry for Hermione and didn’t want any more attention drawn to her.
Ron nodded, and hand in hand with him, we went down the corridors down the Great Hall, Harry following behind us.
We entered the hall and my breath was instantly taken away. All the normal lights were off, and there were little baubles floating all over the place, glowing in different colors.
The house tables were gone and the only table that remained was a little one in the very corner for food and drinks.
Dumbledore stood up from his chair and walked to the podium that was at the head of the room. He smiled grandly at us all.
“Welcome to another Christmas Ball,” he said. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s shake it!”
Everyone laughed as lively music filled the hall. Ron, Harry, Parvati, Dean, Seamus, Ginny, Colin, and I started to dance. It was a great time. Soon, though, we were having such a good time that we didn’t realize there were only five minutes left in the night.
“This is the last song of the night, so we decided that it’s a slow one,” Dumbledore announced.
A beautiful tune filled our ears, and I was drawn to Ron. He put his arms around my waist and held me close. Our lips closed on eachother’s for a second and I put my head on his shoulder. We moved slowly, just rotating in a circle, until the song ended.
We looked for Harry, but he was nowhere to be found. Ron and I walked back up to the tower with his arm around my shoulders and mine around his back. Neither of us said anything until we reached the door to the girl’s dormitories. We gazed into eachother’s eyes.
“Goodnight,” Ron whispered.
“Goodnight,” I replied.
We inched closer and closer until there was no space between our lips. I don’t know what it was, but this kiss was possibly even more amazing than when he took me to the Astronomy Tower. Maybe it was the tongue involved!
It only lasted a minute or two. I opened the door to the dormitories and, slowly letting go of his hand, went inside.
I flung myself on my bed and grinned into the dark velvet of my canopy. I didn’t even bother to change. I wanted to let my hair down, and to do that I needed my hairbrush. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I thought I must have left it downstairs in the common room.
I quietly went down the stairs because everybody else was already sleeping. But as soon as I stepped on the bottom stair, I heard somebody weeping. It was Hermione.
“I don’t know what’s gotten over me, Harry,” she said, sniffing. The two of them were sitting in front of the fire on the couch. My hairbrush was on the table in front of them. Damn.
“It’s like” as soon as they started, I just couldn’t stand it,” Hermione said.
“I know what you mean,” Harry told her. Hermione looked at him.
“Ginny?”
Harry nodded.
Hermione sniffed. “Do you think they’ll last?”
Harry shook his head. “I hope not.”
“Same with me.”
There were a few minutes of silence.
“Hermione?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry, okay? They aren’t meant for eachother” it’s just a fling, like you and Viktor. If you really love Ron, just tell him,” Harry whispered. My mouth dropped, but then closed again. So it was true. Hermione really loved Ron.
“He’ll never go out with me.”
“Hermione, are you kidding me? He loved you so much before he started with Lavender” and he still might. Have you never noticed the way he just stares at you sometimes?”
“Yeah, but then he goes and snogs with Lavender.”
“He probably thinks you don’t like him anymore.”
Silence.
“Fine, he doesn’t think that, Herms.”
Hermione laughed sadly. “Please don’t call me Herms, Harry.”
“Sorry.”
Hermione smiled at him. “I don’t think I could ever ask for a better friend.”
She scooted next to him and hugged him tightly.
“I’m going to bed now,” Hermione said, standing up.
That was the last thing I saw. I ditched my hairbrush and dashed up the stairs. I threw myself in bed and made like I was sleeping right before Hermione walked in. Still sniffing, she dressed and got into bed herself, falling asleep a few minutes later.
I turned over and looked at her. I felt so incredibly sorry for her that I regretted ever going out with Ron” look what I had ruined! I stole all that away from Hermione, one of my friends. I was such a bitch.
I just watched her sleep, thinking of all the things I could do to make her feel better. The only one I could think of was to dump Ron. That way, everybody would be happy, and Hermione would have the man she longed for and loved.
It was all resting on me.
Problem was… I loved Ron too.