Chapter 3
“Hermione?” Ron turned around, surveying every corner of the room swiftly. He couldn't see any shadows, anyone sitting or sleeping in an armchair, or anyone anywhere in the common room apart from himself.
“You're too late, Ron. She’s probably in her bed, asleep, like most normal people are at two thirty in the morning!” Harry said, slightly out of breath from having to race after his friend, and slightly irritated at having to find and sprint after him at two in the morning, then to answer his (rather stupid, in Harry's opinion) questions. “Where did you think she’d be? Sitting by the fire, crying, waiting for you to come back?” Harry asked him with exasperation as Ron looked away. “She’s got more pride than that. Though I'll bet you'll be in trouble in the morning!”
“Really, Ron, it’s fine!” Hermione told him cheerfully. Ron’s face rivalled Harry’s look of astonishment as both their jaws hit the floor.
“But - but I thought - “
“It really doesn't matter,” Hermione told him briskly as she helped herself to some breakfast. “I had a nice time last night anyway without you.” Harry could tell that Ron was stung by her words and her apparent indifference by the way it took him three tries to put the food onto his plate, and the fact that (once he managed to get his fork to find his plate instead of the table, floor or his robes) it hadn't vanished within half a minute.
“It’s just that I met Lavender,” Ron tried in vain to explain, ignoring Harry’s extreme shaking of his head and his waving of hands in the air violently in an attempt to stop Ron talking.
“So?” Hermione asked, looking up swiftly, and Harry thought he might have seen a scowl cross over her face, though if he had, she composed herself very quickly as he didn't see anything but apathy in her expression after he blinked. “Are you two back together?”
“Well, no - “
“Hey, Hermione,” a voice approached from behind them. Harry was amazed again at the speed at which Hermione’s expression could change, as she turned to face the person behind the voice with a vast beam on her face.
“Hi, Terry!” she said, moving up to make room for him on the bench.
“Terry?” Ron spluttered. “Terry Boot? What’s he doing here?” he asked Hermione accusingly, completely ignoring the fact that Terry was standing right in front of him and could easily speak for himself.
“He goes to school here,” answered Hermione, rolling her eyes.
“I know that,” Ron snapped defensively. “I meant, what is he doing here, at the Gryffindor table?” Harry slid down in his seat, noticing the warning signs of an argument between his two best friends.
“Uh, I'll talk to you later, Hermione,” said Terry, who also seemed to have picked up on the not-so-subtle signs of a row as he had an uncomfortable look on his face. Hermione looked mortified but just nodded to Terry before turning back to face Ron, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Harry got up from his chair, backing away quietly, trying to leave unnoticed. As bad as he felt for Ron, the last thing he wanted was Hermione’s wrath focused on him instead. Ron, meanwhile, had a look of sheer terror on his face, having seen Hermione’s expression, and looked like he too would dearly love to be able to sneak away.
But instead of yelling, Hermione just made a queer noise in the back of her throat, stood up and walked away, causing Ron to let out a huge sigh of relief, and Harry to wonder if he should inform Madam Pomfrey.
“Well, that was…” Harry didn't seem to be able to find the words, mainly because he had no idea what exactly it was.
“Awful,” Ron filled in as Harry nodded, “is an understatement.”
“Ginny!” Ron called, rubbing his hands together for warmth as his sister and his best friend had so rudely ignored his constant ringing and knocking on the door. “Harry! Open up!” Just then, the door was flung open, causing Ron to fall backwards in surprise. He looked up from the ground and grass to hear ringing laughter accompanied by a hand to help return him to his feet.
“Typical,” came the voice of Ron’s sister as she came to the door to see what all the noise was about. “It takes me all morning to cheer her up, but you manage it in ten seconds!”
“Why? What’s wrong, Hermione?” he asked, brushing off his robes.
“Nothing seeing you fall over backwards into the dirt won’t cure,” Hermione replied with another small laugh. “Anyway, I really have to go. I’ll see you soon, Ron. Thanks for everything, Ginny,” she called over her shoulder as she walked quickly away from the cottage, giving a small wave.
“What are you doing at my doorstep, or lying on the ground in front of my doorstep as it might seem, anyway, Ron?” Ginny questioned, beckoning her brother to come inside, but not before he wiped his shoes on the mat first.
“I was just coming round to see how your honeymoon went, really. But never mind about that,” he continued, which earned him a venomous glare from Ginny. “I mean, I’m sure it was lovely, but, uh - “ Ron decided that there was no way to recover, so he carried on with his original train of thought anyway. “What’s wrong with Hermione?” He sat down on the sofa opposite his sister, warming his hands by the fire and looking at her inquisitively.
“Nothing much,” Ginny said abruptly, getting up and going into the kitchen. “None of your business anyway!” she called back merrily, as she returned with some Pumpkin Pasties and cake and saw the scowl on Ron’s face. “Well, at first she was having a go at me about the wedding.“ Ron looked very confused as his sister gave a laugh. “She swears that I aimed my bouquet at her! But you might as well know, she had a fight with Terry.” Ginny felt a slight twinge of guilt when she knew she would eliminate her brother's newly found beam with her next sentence. “But I convinced her to make it up with him.”
“What? Why? Why would you do such a thing?” Ron asked, looking at his sister with big, hurt eyes. Ginny couldn’t help but grin at his hangdog expression, though she felt a little mean.
“Why do you care anyway? I thought you were just friends?”
“We are! I - I don’t care! Well, I mean, I do care, obviously, I mean, Hermione’s my friend!” Ron stammered, causing Ginny’s smile to widen. She had never grown out of tormenting her brothers and didn’t really think that she ever would. “I mean,” continued Ron, having slightly regained his composure, “it’s because I care. I don’t think Terry’s good for her!” At this Ginny rolled her eyes.
“Now there’s a surprise!”
“What?” Ron looked slightly hurt again, although this time Ginny felt no guilt.
“Oh come off it, when have you ever liked one of Hermione’s boyfriends?” Ron scowled, he was obviously thinking hard. Ginny smiled victoriously as Ron helped himself to another slice of cake, trying to avoid answering the question. “I mean, all I really need to say is one word: Vicky!” At that one word, Ron began to choke on his cake, which Ginny didn’t think had anything to do with coincidence. “And what about that guy she went out with when she and Terry broke up for a while? Simon?"
"He was a slimy git," Ron said angrily.
"Well, he was when you were done with him! You know, there really wasn’t any need for you to explode those slugs over him!” Ginny grinned whilst Ron grunted. "And what about Adam? By the time you were done interrogating him, he was reduced to stammering on every third word for a week afterwards! Oh, and remember Dave? When you -"
"All right, all right, get to the point!" Ron interrupted, not really wanting any more to come out.
"Well, I guess the point is that you had your chance and you messed it up. It's too late now! Why do you have to try and mess up everyone else’s chance too? Why do you always try to mess up Hermione’s chance of happiness?”
“What - what do you mean?” Ron looked thoroughly bewildered and hadn’t quite finished choking.
“I mean, she waited hours for you. At Hogwarts? When you stood her up?” Ginny said with a vicious glare that Ron felt was worthy of Hermione herself, as she reminded him of the incident he would have much preferred to forget. “All dressed up, just sitting in that armchair. Even when it became clear that you weren’t going to come, she still waited. Like she always does.” At this, Ginny stared accusingly at her brother, who, in return, avoided her gaze at all costs and became suddenly fascinated in the paint drying on their new bookcase. “Until she finally had to admit that you weren’t coming, and she said something about a book she had to return in the library, although I didn’t see a book in her hand, and it was kind of hard to make out what she was saying through the tears she was trying to conceal,” Ginny noted. As Ron listened to her, Ginny could tell her words were tearing him up, although to be honest, she thought he deserved it. “There she ran into Terry, who complimented her on how nice she looked, unlike some people,” she added with slight irritation. “Can you blame her when she said yes when he asked her out?” Ron groaned.
“No. But that was ages ago! And I don’t care anyway! I’m happy for her!” Ginny looked at him sardonically. “Ok, maybe I had feelings for her once. But not anymore!” Ron proclaimed, very unconvincingly. “I mean, I’m going out with Claire! Why would I like Hermione? I mean, Claire’s pretty, funny, works at the Ministry, sweet…” Ron trailed off.
“Yeah, sure. So do you think that it'll go anywhere, with Hermione?” Ginny asked casually, summoning a cup from the kitchen.
“Yes!” Ginny grinned triumphantly as Ron realised his mistake. “I mean, no! I mean, I’m happy with Claire! Claire,” he added slowly, as if trying to convince himself more than Ginny. “I do not still l - er, like, Hermione!”
“Right…” Ginny agreed with him, although Ron thought he detected a trace of sarcasm in her voice through her wry smile. “Oh, look!” Ron followed her gaze to out the window. “What’s that? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a pig! And - it’s flying!” Ron didn't answer.
When Is Too Late? by Oppungo
Chapter Notes: Thanks to my lovely beta, songbook99!