A month had passed and, as the first week of October came, so did their first Hogsmeade trip. Harry and Ron saw the bulletin in the Gryffindor common room during their free period. The trip was scheduled to be on the second Saturday of the month.
“So, Harry, I expect you’re going to go with Ginny?” Ron asked.
“And I expect you to ask Hermione to go with you,” Harry replied.
“I just can’t,” Ron answered, “You know how it goes when I try to ask someone out. I get all nervous and stuff. I can’t do it.”
“Sure you can,” Harry said positively. “You just need some practice.” Ginny walked through the portrait hole. “Here, watch,” he said to Ron.
As she approached them, he said, “The next Hogsmeade trip is next Saturday. Do want to go with me?”
“Of course, I would love to, Harry,” Ginny giggled. “Did you think I wouldn’t?” Harry glanced at Ron, who was about a foot away from them. “Oh,” she mouthed.
Ron brought Harry aside. “I can’t do that! First of all, she’s your girlfriend. You definitely know she actually likes you. And she wouldn’t say no.”
“Okay, maybe I gave a bad example but,” Harry started, “hold on---” He went back over to Ginny, who was talking to some of her friends.
“Ron needs some help. He wants to ask out someone, but he can’t.” Ginny’s eyes widened, but Harry didn’t notice. “So can you help?”
“Anything for big brother Ron,” Ginny said happily. I knew it! Ron likes Hermione and Hermione likes Ron back. Oh this is so exciting!
Harry and Ginny walked back to where Ron was sulking. “Pretend Ginny is who you want to ask out,” Harry told him. He wondered if he should tell Ginny it was Hermione he wanted to ask out.
“I can’t ask her out! She’s my sister!” Ron exclaimed.
“Ron just pretend,” Ginny said. “You don’t have to kiss me or anything.”
“I still can’t. It’s just weird.”
“Hold on,” Harry had an idea. “Ginny, hold still, this might go horribly wrong and I don’t want to hurt you.” Ginny had a horrified face and closed her eyes as Harry waved his wand around. A second later, she had curly, blond hair and absolutely no freckles.
“How’d you do that?” Ron was amazed.
“Tonks showed me,” Harry said simply.
“What did you do to me?” Ginny demanded. She took out a mirror compact from her bag.
“Wait, you need a different name.”
“Okay, then,” Ginny said impatiently, “how about, uh, Julia?”
“No, I don’t like that name much”“
“Just ask her out already!” Harry growled.
“No need to get hostile,” Ron said to Harry. He tried his best to stare at “Julia’s” forehead and not look at her eyes, which still looked like Ginny’s. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. Finally, he was able to speak, “This is just too weird.”
“Well, we gave it a try,” Ginny said reassuringly. “You should just ask her out, Ron. Who could say no to you?” Harry was about to say something when Ginny shot him a look that made him jump. He knew not to get on her bad side.
After their free period, Ron and Harry headed off for Defense Against the Dark Arts. They saw Hermione in the corridor and caught up with her. Harry stayed a little behind the two of them.
“Hello, Ron, Harry,” said Hermione as she saw them approach. “How was your free period? I wish I had one. I’ve got loads of homework from Arithmancy.”
“Oh, you know, it was fine,” Ron said. He looked questioningly back at Harry, who nodded.
“Go ahead,” he mouthed.
“Actually, Hermione, uh, I saw the date for the first Hogsmeade trip on the common room board. It’s on Saturday and I was won“ ahh!” Ron tripped on what appeared to be nothing. Harry saw Malfoy laughing with his Slytherin cronies a little behind them. Why wasn’t he expelled? Harry thought. He tried to murder Dumbledore last year after all.
“Hey, Weasel,” Malfoy taunted,” how are things with the Mudblood?” Ron could feel his face get hot. He was used to being called Weasel by Malfoy, but he couldn’t stand seeing Hermione being called a “Mudblood”. It was the worst thing you could call anybody. The fact that he saw them as a couple made Ron light up on the inside though.
“How’s your dad?” Ron asked sarcastically. “Having fun in Azkaban?”
“I suggest that you not to insult my father, but what can you expect from a blood-traitor?” Malfoy already had his wand drawn and Ron did the same.
“Ron, don’t do anything,” Hermione whispered. “It doesn’t even matter anymore.”
Ron didn’t listen and in almost an instant, Malfoy’s lips fell off. “That’ll teach you to keep your mouth shut!” Ron proclaimed as a pair of lips bounced on the ground.
“Weasley, what have you done to Draco?” Snape had come from his classroom. Apparently, Snape had dealt with this hex before and knew how to get the lips back on to Malfoy’s face. “Fifteen points from Gryffindor and detention for the next two Saturdays.”
For a minute, Ron felt relieved. He didn’t have to ask out Hermione yet. Then again, he had the courage to face Malfoy. Maybe he could ask Hermione without fainting. In that case, he dreaded the two Saturdays with Snape.
Everybody who had been frozen, staring at the commotion returned to his or her normal lives. The seventh years crowded at the doorway to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Snape dragged his wand in the air and made everyone shift to make way for him.
As everyone got seated, he started the day’s lesson with a long lecture. “Non-verbal spells are very useful in defensive magic, but deceiving your opponent into thinking you are doing a certain spell is even more useful. To say the incantation for one spell, while performing a different one is what you’ll be learning today. It will be extremely difficult and will harmfully backfire if you do not concentrate.”
Hermione’s hand shot up. “Is it true, Professor, that you used this method last year to merely Stun Professor Dumbledore, while the Death Eaters thought you had killed him?”
“Yes, it is true. Now this technique is much emphasized in your N.E.W.Ts. With your partner, in turn, perform a Shield Charm while saying the incantation; ‘Expelliarmus’ while your partner attempts to disarm you. Begin.”
Lavender immediately jumped up and headed to where Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting. Hermione glared at her.
“Ron, would you like to be my partner?” Lavender asked him very loudly, so that just about everybody could hear her.
“Uh, sure,” Ron said. He couldn’t turn her down after she had put on a show to ask him. Ron went off with Lavender almost by force as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from Harry and Hermione.
Parvati looked like someone had just broken her wand. The only person left was Neville after Harry had just partnered with Hermione.
Ron and Lavender began practicing their spells in an awkward silence, occasionally broken with an “Expelliarmus!”
"Okay, I just wanted to ask you something." Lavender looked over at Hermione across the room. "Are you going to Hogsmeade this Saturday? I was hoping maybe you would want to go with me?"
"Um... actually, I have detention with Snape." Ron shook his head and remembered Lavender had already been in the classroom when he had jinxed Malfoy.
“Oh,” Lavender said. “What did you do to deserve that? I’m sure he would love to give you detention just for being Harry’s best mate.” There was a thud and Ron looked around to see Harry scrambling to get up.
“Malfoy was being a complete git. Had to teach him a lesson. Made his mouth fall off his face.”
“I wish I was there. Would have been a great laugh.” Lavender giggled like a schoolgirl.
“Yeah, he was shooting the old Mudblood insult at Hermione.” Lavender turned slightly pink. Ron was surely friends with Hermione, but could he like her?
Hermione couldn't help glancing back at Ron and Lavender. She saw Lavender give her a look when she said something to Ron. It was in audible to her. Ron shook his head no. They seemed to be having a wonderful time. What are they saying?
A possible conversation ran through her mind.
"Do you like Hermione?"
"No."
“She’s just a friend. Why would I like her?”
Hermione didn't feel sad though. She felt angry.
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry (who had been saying, “Hermione… Hermione…” for the past minute and was not prepared) fell backward as Hermione unsuccessfully produced a Shield Charm. She wasn't concentrating and powerfully disarmed him instead. Harry got up and brushed himself off.
"Hermione, I know something's bothering you. You usually get the hang of everything so quickly," he said to her.
"Nothing's bothering me. I'm just, I don't know, I'm just not focusing."
“Well, alright,” Harry said. “If you want to get anything off your chest, I’m here.”
Hermione was confused. She didn’t understand. I was so sure that Ron liked me back. How could I be wrong? She couldn’t decide whether to tell Harry or not. Can I trust Harry?
Only In My Dreams by Ice Cream Eater
Chapter Notes: I've been long, but here it is.