Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Harry Potter books, they belong solely to J.K.Rowling. Unfortunately.
*****
Ron Weasley was leaning against his luggage trolley on platform 9 and ¾ chatting to Dean Thomas when he heard someone calling his name.
“Ron! Guess who I found?”
He turned around to see Harry walking up to him, closely followed by Hermione.
“Hi Herm“” Ron did not manage to finish his sentence, as Hermione embraced him tightly and lightly kissed him on the cheek. As she moved away to talk to Dean, Ron spotted Harry grinning inanely. He turned a deeper shade of beetroot and muttered,
“Oh…shut up…”
It was their last year at Hogwarts and Ron had already endured a summer of Harry teasing him about his feelings for Hermione. Of course he denied it, vehemently in fact, but his friend was not easily fooled. No matter how many times Harry tried to coax a confession out of him, Ron remained abstinently silent. Harry would be certain to tell Hermione, and then everything would be awkward between them. No, better a year of “what ifs” than a year without her.
*****
Hermione rejoined them as they struggled to push through the mass of students towards the Hogwarts express.
“Do you remember ever being that small?” Harry said, with a nod towards the first years scrambling for the doors of the carriage.
“I know, it’s strange isn’t it? To think we’ve been here that long…” Hermione looked lost in thought and very nearly knocked out a second year with her trunk. Ron threw out an arm to stop the boy falling over, and glanced at Hermione.
“Hermione, watch where you’re going! You’ll kill all the little ones with one blow!” He shook his head in disbelief. “What have you got in that thing anyway? Anyone would think you’re carrying a dead body.”
“Hmm?” Hermione suddenly realised Ron was talking to her. “Oh no, it’s just books really…”
Harry’s mouth dropped open.
“That entire thing is full of books? Have I missed something? If anything I have less books than last year!”
“Well they’re not all from the book list, obviously. I just brought a few more with me for some extra reading.”
Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione saw and bristled instantly.
“It may have escaped your notice, Ronald Weasley, but we do actually have some very important exams this year which I do not intend to fail. Just because you can’t be bothered to put some effort into them doesn’t mean I won’t!” And with that she stormed off onto the train.
“Hermione! Hermione, come on! You know I didn’t mean anything by it!” He looked at Harry in exasperation. “What’s with her today?”
Harry just chuckled and boarded the train after her.
*****
Ron dragged his things into the compartment and stowed them away. He turned to Hermione, intending to apologise (though not entirely sure what for),
“Hermione…”
She folded her arms and stared resolutely out of the window.
“Fine!” Ron threw himself down onto the seat furthest away from her. “It’s not like I did anything wrong anyway!”
Hermione glared at him and opened her mouth as if to retort, but then seemed to think better of it and returned to staring out of the window, uttering the occasional grunt of contempt.
For the next half an hour the journey passed in near silence. Harry kept trying to start up a conversation but before long he gave up, tiring of their monosyllabic responses. To his relief, Ginny appeared at the door to the compartment.
“Hi Harry! How’s it going?” She asked cheerfully.
“Oh it’s been going swimmingly so far.” He replied; his voice laced with sarcasm. Ginny dropped onto the seat next to him and sighed.
“Ron, Hermione, it’s your turn to patrol the halls. Mind out though, there are a group of fourth years down one end setting off some of Fred and George’s fireworks at every possible opportunity.”
Harry watched as his two friends got up and, still refusing to talk to one another, left the carriage.
“What’s going on with those two?” asked Ginny as soon as they were out of hearing range.
“Don’t ask me,” Harry said, pausing for a minute before muttering “they’re useless, the both of them.”
Ginny giggled and they relaxed into conversation.
*****
Ron walked alongside Hermione, playing with his prefect badge and stubbornly refusing to look at her. Every so often they stopped by a compartment full of over-excited first years and told them to keep the noise down.
After ten minutes of silence, Hermione snapped “You’re being so childish, Ron.”
Ron turned to stare at her, a look of incredulity on his face.
“I’m being childish? Who’s the one having a hissy fit over nothing?”
“A…I’m sorry did you just say a hissy fit? This is not a hissy fit! I just don’t see why you have to be needlessly rude within five minutes of seeing me again for the FIRST TIME IN AGES!”
Their shouts brought the attention of a tall, blonde boy sitting in a compartment a few feet away.
“Well well. If it isn’t Granger and Weasley. Having another lover’s tiff are we?”
Draco Malfoy was leaning against the doorframe, with Crabbe and Goyle lurking behind him.
“Shut up Malfoy.” Hissed Ron, standing straighter and squaring his shoulders.
Draco ignored him, staring instead at Hermione.
“Still,” he drawled, “I wouldn’t blame you Weasley. The sooner you get rid of that filthy little mudblood the better.”
Ron looked furious.
“Don’t you dare call her that!” He trembled with anger.
Draco Malfoy laughed and casually pulled out his wand.
“And what,” he sneered, “are you going to do to me if I do?”
Ron drew his own wand and pushed Hermione behind him, ignoring her protests. He held up his wand, at the same time slowly backing into an empty compartment.
“I’m warning you Malfoy.” He said menacingly.
“Oh, I’m bored of this now.” With a flick of his wand Draco uttered the words “Laedo armarium”.
Ron was thrown backwards, hitting the window of the train with a sickening thud. Through half-closed eyes he saw Malfoy walk off, laughing complacently. Ron gave a groan and clutched at his chest, which felt like he’d had a sledge hammer driven into it.
“Ron! Ron, are you okay?” Hermione rushed over and knelt beside him, staring anxiously into his face.
He tried to reply but found it was increasingly difficult to breathe, let alone speak. Instead he leant back against the wall, closing his eyes. He felt a light pressure on his hand, which still rested on his chest. Ron looked down to see Hermione’s hand resting on his. Gently he entwined his fingers with hers and looked up into her face.
“Ron…” she said quietly.
Suddenly he came to his senses and let go of her hand. He struggled to get up, mentally cursing himself for his stupidity. What had he been thinking? Of course she hadn’t meant that…and now he had scared her off. He felt his face turn red as he staggered out into the hallway, still limping from his collision with the wall.
Hermione sat back on her heels and sighed, then got to her feet and followed Ron out of the compartment.
*****