Disclaimer: Although I am using bits of text from the books, sadly, the Harry Potter books, and all who inhabit them, do not belong to me. I am deathly afraid of lawyers, and do not wish to be arrested until after I try to take over the world.
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Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak over his head and set off down the stairs, Ron and Hermione hurrying along behind him. At the foot of the stairs, he slid through the open door. Hermione pushed the door full open and rushed to try and stop Harry. As she opened her mouth to tell him off, a scream pierced the silence of the common room.
"What were you doing up there with her?" shrieked Lavender Brown.
"Well, I was... y-you, y-you, see, Lavender," Ron stuttered.
Hermione turned her head to the row going on by the portrait hole: Ginny and Dean's row. It sounded as if Dean had been helping Ginny through the portrait hole, but Hermione didn't see Dean touch her. 'Harry must have brushed against her,' Hermione thought. Ginny stormed agrily up the girls' staircases, and likewise Dean went up to the boys' dormitories, looking thoroughly disgruntled. Hermione turned her attention back to Lavender and Ron at the mention of her name.
"I knew you and Hermione were more than friends," Lavender snarled.
"I swear, we're just friends, Lavender," Hermione said quietly.
"Then why didn't you talk to Ron for weeks after we started dating?" Lavender demanded.
Hermione looked down and felt herself going red. The common room, which had been mostly quiet up to this point, was as silent as the grave. No one made a sound, but waited anxiously for Hermione's answer, something she was sure they had talked and debated over for weeks.
Ron noticed how uncomfortable this question made Hermione and came to her aid.
"She doesn't have to answer that, Lavender," Ron said fiercely. "She'll have her reasons, and she doesn't have to tell them to you lot."
Hermione gave Ron a grateful smile, but Lavender burst into tears.
"That's it, Ronald Wealsey!" she sobbed. "We're through!" She ran up the girls' staircases, and slammed her dormitory door shut with a earth-shaking bang. Pravati immediatly followed her, throwing a dirty look at Ron before exiting the room.
Ron was trying desparately to hide his smile, as many of the girls were leaving to comfort Lavender and shooting him and Hermione filthy looks. He resolved the matter by concealing his grin behind his Charms book.
Hermione, trying hard to keep the joy from her voice, said, "Um... well, I-I'm going to go talk to Ginny. I saw her having a row with Dean."
Ron nodded and said, "I'll wait for you."
Hermione wanted to skip up the stairs, but as a cry echoed around her, she decided not to.
She walked gingerly over to the fifth year door, so she wouldn't overheard by Lavender, although she wasn't sure if it would matter, because of Lavender's dry sobs. Hermione knocked on the door, praying Ginny was the only person inside. Sure enough, the door swung open to reveal a messy dormitory, and one red-headed girl.
"What happened with you and Dean?" Hermione asked the minute they had sat down on Ginny's bed. "I saw you two having a row."
Ginny shrugged and said nonchalantly, "We broke up. But we've been rocky for ages, so I'm not too upset. What's with Lavender? If she doesn't shut up soon, then McGonagall's going to come running up her to see what the problem is."
Hermione nodded and said, "Tonight's a bad night for romance. Ron and Lavender broke up, too."
Ginny stared into space for a minute before looking back at Hermione, a look of utmost surprise on her face.
"What are you still doing here?" Ginny said slowly.
"W-What?" Hermione said, taken aback.
"Go! Go now and talk to Ron!" Ginny said, pushing Hermione out the door. Before Hermione could do anything about it, the door had been slammed in her face. "And don't come back until he goes to bed, and I'll check the common room if I think you're lying," she added through the door.
Hermione giggled and walked down the staircase to the common room. To her surprise, Ron was the only one there. She sat down in the chair next to his and began to read. Not a minute after she sat down did Ron speak.
"Hermione," he began carefully, "why didn't you talk to me after Lavender and I starting dating?"
"Because I was jealous that you were going out with Lavender and not me," Hermione said quickly, and gasped.
She had not meant to say that. She was going to lie to Ron, but the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. Hermione thought thier friendship was over. The look of shock on Ron's face was enough to make her cry.
I-I'm sorry," she cried, and raced toward the girls' staircase.
Ron's reaction was so fast, one might have thought it was his reflexes. He rocketed after Hermione, his only thought of how she needed to understand. How she needed to know he loved her, too. He was so absorbed in his pursuit of Hermione that he forgot what happened when a boy touched the sixth stair.
The slide activated immediately. Ron lost his balance, and slipped back into the common room. A scream from the top of the stairs told him Hermione had not managed to get off the stairs before the slide activated. Before he could move at all, Hermione landed on top of him.
Hermione blushed purple and made to get up, but Ron rolled over so they were lying next to each other. When she still struggled to try and get to her feet, Ron threw and arm over her waist to restrain her from moving.
"Ron, what are yo-" Hermione began, but her words were cut off but her words were cut off by Ron's lips covering her own. She stiffened for a minute, then relaxed into the kiss.
Ron broke the kiss, and said very quickly, "I'm really sorry, I only went out with Lavender so you would be jealous, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't like her anyway, and couldn't if I tried. I love you too much, Hermione."
"I loved you, too, Ron," Hermione said sheepishly.
The kissed again, and broke apart after what seemed like an hour.
"W-We should go to b-bed before anyone sees us like t-this," Hermione panted.
Ron nodded in agreement, though a little sadly. He kissed her again, though shorter than the last time.
"'Night," he said, grinning as he walked toward the boys' dormitory steps.
Hermione raced up to the fifth year dormitory steps, not even bothering to conceal her grin as she passed Lavender's room.
Ginny screamed so loud that Professor McGonagall ran up to see what had happened.
The End
(A/N: Hi, everyone! Hope you liked this!)