Finally
Harry was getting extremely disgusted with his friends. Ron and Hermione were fighting again. Not that this week was different from any other week, but the fight was developing into something very different. Harry felt stuck between the two, unable to take sides, watching them both and listening to their complaints. It was painfully obvious, to him at least, that his two best friends were mad for each other but just would not admit it.
Ron was seated across from him, rapping one of his knights on the edge of the table. He looked angry still, even though Hermione had stormed out of the common room a good twenty minutes ago. They had of course shouted at one another and everyone had stared. Now Ron was taking it out on his chess pieces.
“Honestly,” Ron snarled. “I don’t know why I bother even trying to talk to her sensibly. She’s mental. I mean, who gets angry over a compliment?”
Harry nodded absently and moved his queen. Here we go, he thought.
“All I said was that it would be a good idea to have a Prefect meeting and that she should organize it. What the hell is wrong with that?”
Harry shrugged. “Your turn,” he said flatly, hoping to distract Ron back into the game.
“Then, she yells at me that I never do anything to help and why don’t I take some responsibility for a change. What is she even talking about? She’s Head Girl. She’s the one who is supposed to call the bloody meetings. I just said it was a good idea!” Ron shoved a pawn blindly in the path of Harry’s queen.
Harry sighed and took the pawn quietly. If Ron was going to continue going on about Hermione, he could probably win this game in 10 minutes.
“And whaa-a-at,” Ron shouted, “does my Transfiguration essay even have to do with a Prefect meeting?” He exhaled and slumped back into his chair. “Don’t understand,” he muttered under his breath.
Now he’s going to sulk, Harry thought. This game is completely over. He, too, sat back in his chair and studied his best friend. Ron was chewing on his lower lip and looking at the floor. He looked somewhere between annoyed and devastated.
“Ron, have you thought of just trying to talk to her calmly? Just tell her that you never meant to insult her, you were trying to help, and you’re sorry.”
“Sorry?” Ron flared. “Sorry for what? Agreeing with her?!”
“Well, I think she wanted you to offer help,” Harry said tentatively.
Ron opened his mouth to retort and then closed it again. His confusion was evident as he grimaced. “She wanted help planning the meeting?”
Harry sighed. “Yes, I think she did.”
“But what. . .” Ron started.
Harry cut him off. “I think she wants you to step up and help her out a bit just because you’re her friend. That probably includes lending a hand with meetings and not asking her to look over your homework.”
Ron opened his mouth again but said nothing. Then his eyes grew wide with realization. He looked down at his shoes. “Hell,” he swore quietly.
Harry felt a little bad for being so blunt, but it was nothing that wasn’t true. In fact, it was exactly what Hermione wanted. She had told him several times the other day in the library. He couldn’t flat out tell Ron that he had been talking to her about it, though. It’s just Ron was so thick that he never figured it out on his own.
“I don’t want her to be angry at me anymore,” Ron said, plucking at a hole in his sleeve. “We’re just always in a row, you know. It’s stupid. We . . . she . . . I “ I just want us to be happy.” Ron paused and then said slowly, “I think we could be happy. Don’t you?”
Yes, Harry said to himself. Then, out loud, “Maybe you should go find her and just talk to her, mate? I mean, if you want to be with her you’re going to have to tell her instead of me some time.”
“I don’t know,” Ron said exasperatedly. “I never know what to say. Then, she gets irritated and it never works out like it does in my head. She’s impossible, really. I don’t even know why I would try to be with her.”
He stood and bumped the table, knocking some of the chess pieces to the floor. He made a vague sort of growling noise and kicked at a pawn. It sailed to the other side of the common room, landing at Lavender Brown’s feet. She gave Ron a horrible look and turned her nose up before turning her back to them.
“Stupid, bloody girls,” Ron muttered and spun on his heel. He stalked across the common room and up the stairs to the boys’ dormitory.
So, I guess he’s not going to apologize, Harry thought.
After spending most of the past six months together while Hogwarts was closed, it seemed that Hermione and Ron had grown both closer and further apart than ever. This same scenario had been going on ever since they got back to school: Ron would say something slightly stupid, Hermione would get more angry than necessary, Ron wouldn’t understand what he did wrong, Hermione would hold a grudge for ages, and then Harry would push them to make up again. At this point, Harry’s preference was to just yell at them both, but that really wouldn’t do any good.
By no means was Harry a matchmaker, but he didn’t want to see his friends fighting anymore. Besides, between the two of them, they were making him crazy. And so, with a sigh, Harry got up from the abandoned chess game. He grabbed his bag and set out to find Hermione. She would likely be in the library, as usual, studying for N.E.W.T.s. Maybe he could try talking some sense into her.
***
He found Hermione easily enough. She was camped out at her favorite table in the back of the library near the Restricted Section. The tabletop was covered with open books and spare pieces of parchment, but she sat with her chin resting on her fist staring off at nothing. Her sulky gaze was ominous and Harry approached with caution.
“Hey there, Hermione,” he said quietly, waving a hand in front of her face. She jumped and looked annoyed at the intrusion. Her eyes softened when she registered it was only Harry.
“What are you doing here, Harry?” she asked. “I thought you said you were done with the library for this week.”
“Well, I’ve been done with the library for years, but it seems to be the only place I can find you lately.”
Hermione smiled weakly. “Did you need something or are you just coming to bother me because I am rather busy?”
Harry snorted back a laugh. “Busy? Staring off into space is what you call ‘busy’ these days?”
“I was thinking,” she said simply.
“What about?” Harry asked, hoping she would start the conversation. He sat down across the table from her.
“Arithmancy theories,” Hermione said with a wave of her quill.
She’s lying, Harry thought to himself and watched Hermione drop her eyes to the nearest book. It was their Potions text, clearly having nothing to do with Arithmancy. He waited silently, though, and picked up a nearby book on Advanced Transfiguration for good measure.
“What did Ron say after I left?” Hermione asked quietly after just a moment.
Harry put down the textbook. “Oh, he was livid for a little while. He gets it, though. That you were hoping he’d help you out. I think he feels bad.”
“Does he?” Hermione said quickly and a little too loudly. Harry nodded. Hermione made a satisfied noise that sounded like, “Hmph.”
She looked past Harry into the depths of the library wearing the same sullen expression as she had earlier. He watched her out of the corner of his eye for a few moments before venturing his suggestion.
“Maybe you should go talk to him,” Harry smiled a small, encouraging smile.
Hermione snapped her book shut. “It’s just that I think we could be so happy if . . . if he would just stop being so thick! It’s like he never listens to a word I say. Honestly, I don’t know why I bother with him time and time again.”
“Maybe if you just explain to him what you’re thinking for a change, instead of taking it out on the books.” Harry picked up the Potions text and moved it out of her reach.
“Tell him what I’m thinking? I think I’m pretty straight-forward.”
“Girls are never straight-forward,” Harry said matter-of-factly.
Hermione’s mouth opened to form a small ‘O’ and she flicked her eyes to Harry’s. “Is that why he never understands because I’m confusing?”
Harry tried to hide his smile. “I think maybe he’s a little confused, too.”
“Do you think he’s still angry at me? I don’t want him to be angry.”
“Maybe,” Harry tried again, “you should go talk to him. When I left, he had gone up to the bedroom.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Hermione’s lips. She grabbed an armful of books shoved them in her bag. The rest she pushed toward Harry. “Will you put these away for me?”
“Sure, of course,” Harry smiled.
Hermione absently patted Harry’s shoulder as she rushed past him toward the front doors of the library. Harry leaned forward and his head hit the table with a thump. Merlin, this is hard, he thought.
***
Harry took his time returning the books to their shelves just to give Hermione a head start. After about ten minutes of dawdling, he packed up and figured he would head back to Gryffindor Tower. He bumped into Seamus on his way out of the library.
“Are you going back to the tower?” Seamus asked. He sounded amazed.
“Yeah, I was going to,” Harry said. “Why?”
“Listen, mate, I wouldn’t go back up there if I were you. Your friends are having the row of the century right outside the common room.”
“What?” Harry exclaimed.
“I was climbing the steps, you know the ones that always move, and Hermione went flying past me. I yelled after her to see if she was alright and she said she just needed to find someone. So, I just kept walking because she said she was fine but when I came ‘round the corner I heard Weasley shouting, ‘You never let me explain anything!’ And then Granger was shouting, ‘You never listen to me at all!’ And they were standing there, in the middle of the hallway right in front of the Fat Lady, screaming. So, I couldn’t go around them. I had to turn back and come down here. Hey, this is the second shouting match they’ve had today, isn’t it?”
“They weren’t supposed to fight more,” Harry moaned. “They were supposed to make up!” Seamus just looked at him, entirely confused.
Harry sighed, “I convinced Hermione to go talk to Ron. I didn’t think they were going to get into another row. I thought they’d just, you know, make up.”
“Yeah, well, crappy job they’re doing of that,” Seamus said sarcastically.
“Hell, this is my fault,” Harry said. “I’ve got to go find them now.”
“Good luck with that one,” Seamus said with a laugh.
Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and ran out of the library. He rushed toward Gryffindor Tower half expecting, at any point, to hear shouts echoing through the hallway. It was quiet, though, and he didn’t pass anyone else running away from the scene at the tower’s entrance. He skidded around the corner into the Gryffindor hallway and pulled himself to a dead stop.
Tall Ron was hunched over small Hermione, their lips touching in a delicate kiss. Suddenly, Hermione stretched up on her tip-toes and threw her arms around Ron’s neck. Ron pulled her closer to him and leaned backwards into the wall. It didn’t look like they were going to be shouting any more today.
Harry quietly turned on his heel and snuck back around the corner. He clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud in triumph. Finally, he sighed to himself. Settling for a quiet giggle, he headed back toward the library.