After their “close encounter” outside the Gryffindor common room, Hermione felt that something had changed between herself and Draco.
‘I am so confused. My head hurts. He only hugged me because I was crying, so why did it feel like that wasn’t the reason at all? And now all of a sudden, it’s like my mind completely erased him.’
Hermione had been having nightmares, where she would wake up seeing Draco’s eyes before her. She knew that they had been nightmares because they have recently been accompanied by an angry and hurt emotion. But after that night, it stopped. She hadn’t had that dream in three days.
‘Maybe he, no that can’t be it.’ She was so preoccupied trying to figure out what was going on that she ran into someone as she was entering the library. She looked up and was immediately frozen in place. She had run into Ron.
‘It’s Sunday, why on earth is Ron in the library of all places?’
They stood there looking at each other. Then Hermione noticed that Ron was holding a book. Ron saw her gaze drift towards the book and tried to hide the title, but was too slow. Hermione read: “Love Potions and their Effects.” Hermione gaped open mouthed at Ron who now had a determined nonplussed look on his face.
“What are you planning on using that for? You know that love potions are banned at school.”
“Who said I was going to make one?” Ron challenged. “A guy can’t read?”
“Well, that is a strange book to take out of the library for some ‘light reading’.”
Hermione had a sickening feeling that Ron was planning something that had to do with her.
“You know Hermione, you aren’t the only one who’s interested in subjects other than those covered in class.” Ron looked angry as he said this.
“Ron, I didn’t mean it that way, I just thought that you may be considering,” she paused not wanting to accuse him and make their present situation any worse; but Ron finished the sentence for her.
“You thought that I might be considering slipping you a love potion? Ha! Oh please Hermione, like I could even brew one in the first place.” Ron’s cheeks flushed pink as he said this. “I like you but I am not so desperate that I would resort to a love potion to make you like me.” He walked around her and exited the library. Hermione followed.
“Ron wait!” she called.
Ron turned and looked at her, but didn’t say anything.
“You still haven’t told me why you’ve taken that book out.”
“Well there might be something in it that can explain what’s been going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“You and Malfoy,” he answered. “I can’t honestly believe that you like him. He must have slipped you something to make you act like this. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Hermione stood dumbstruck. Ron honestly thought that she, Hermione-the-know-it-all-Granger, would not recognize a love potion if it was slipped into her drink!
“You what!?” she yelled. “How can you possibly think that that’s why I like Draco? Are you that jealous?”
“YES!” Ron yelled back, tears in his eyes. “Yes I’m that jealous! Hermione, I have been nothing but the best of friend to you and you knew how I felt about you and I just don’t understand how you can like Malfoy over me! He’s hated you, spat at you, called you foul names, yet you look right through me to him! Why?”
Hermione listened to Ron’s outburst and saw the hurt and lost expression on his face, as tears began to form in her own eyes.
“Its not that I don’t like you, it’s just that I just don’t feel anything stronger than friendship between us.”
“Well that’s fine for you then, have fun with your little ferret.” Ron turned and started to walk away again.
“Ron please listen to me.”
Ron stopped but did not turn around. Hermione caught up with him and stood directly in front of him, forcing him to look at her.
“You have to understand how important you are to me,” she said.
“Obviously I’m not that important,” Ron stated angrily.
“No, you are Ron. Being one of my best friends means so much to me. I really need to know that I still have you as my friend.” She looked pleadingly at him.
‘This has to be decided now. I can’t go through days of being depressed about Ron and confused about Draco; it’s too much for me.’
“Well Harry seems to be handling the position of best friend quite nicely so I don’t know why you think you need me.”
Tears flowed freely down Hermione’s face.
‘He really isn’t going to forgive me. Why won’t he? It’s not fair.’
“I love you Ron, as my friend I love you. And I really need you now, some things have been happening and I’m so confused and I need to have you to talk to.”
“Well that must suck,” Ron said, and he left in the direction of the Gryffindor common room leaving Hermione crying in the corridor.
*~*~*~*~
“Who pissed you off?” Harry asked as Ron came fuming into the Gryffindor common room.
“Hermione, that’s who!” Ron spat as he dropped angrily into the armchair across from Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes and said with some anger, “Did you say something to her to hurt her on purpose.” It wasn’t really a question, because Harry already knew the answer.
“No! She’s the one who ran into me then had a field day about the book I was taking out of the library!”
“What book was it?” Harry asked suspiciously.
Ron hesitated then took the book out of his bag and showed it to Harry without making eye contact. Harry stared with the same expression Hermione had worn when she first saw the book.
“Ron, you, you’re not going to try to give Hermione a love potion are you?”
“Are you mad!? Like I could brew one in the first place! What is wrong with you people?”
“Then, what are you doing with it?” Harry had a feeling this is where the conversation between Ron and Hermione had gone down hill.
“I wanted to see if maybe Hermione was under the effects of a love potion given to her by Malfoy.” Ron looked very irritated at having to discuss this twice.
“Oh, please tell me you didn’t tell her that.”
“I did,” Ron said looking into the fire.
“I can’t believe you are that thick Ron! You really need to get over yourself.”
“Me? What are you on about?” Ron was looking very confused at Harry’s sudden anger.
“Yes, you Ron. Hermione is your friend, but you are all stuck on some self pity trip that you are completely disregarding her feelings.”
“What about my feelings?” Ron shot.
“What about them? She knows that she hurt you and she has apologized more than you deserve! Don’t you want her to be happy? I have a suggestion, come down from your emotional pedestal and think about the friend that you are losing.”
Harry stormed off, leaving Ron sitting by the fire.
*~*~*~*~
That night at dinner, Hermione avoided not only Ron but Harry and Draco as well. She really just felt like being by herself after her episode with Ron that afternoon. She was distracted from her food when Ron came and sat down next to her. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes, and then Ron spoke.
“You know,” he began. Hermione didn’t look up, she was afraid about what he was going to say to her next.
“If you want, I can walk right over there and punch Malfoy in the face for not noticing how you feel about him. That is if you would like me to.”
Hermione looked up into his face, her heart leaping.
‘Oh does he mean it, is he forgiving me?’
“Oh Ron!” Hermione cried and she threw her arms around him in a hug, and began to cry on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I’ve been acting like such a prat Hermione.”
“It’s ok,” she sobbed. She then smiled and Harry joined them to finish dinner together; something they hadn’t done in a long time.
When they had all finished and were on their way back to the Gryffindor common room, Ron suddenly spoke making them jump.
“I’ve got it!”
“Got what?” Harry and Hermione asked.
“I’ve got a plan, and if Malfoy doesn’t notice you we will have reason to question his sexuality.”
Harry and Hermione burst into fits of laughter. Hermione hugged Ron and the three of them entered the Gryffindor common room smiling.