Disclaimer: Sadly, I can claim none of the Harry Potter characters as my own. Isn't life tragic?
*****
Harry and Ginny were sitting in the train compartment playing a game of exploding snap when the door slid open. Without looking up, Ginny spoke.
“Are you two back already? You’ve still got at least ten minutes of prefect duty to do.”
Harry, however, leapt up as he saw Ron stagger over and collapse into his seat.
“Ron! What happened? Are you okay?” Harry rushed to his friend’s side, checking for any signs of bleeding.
“That git Malfoy hit me with a curse, that’s what happened!” he groaned, shifting in his seat.
“Don’t be melodramatic, Ron.” Hermione said absent-mindedly as she sat down across from him. “It wasn’t a curse. It was a simple laedo armarium spell, nothing really. The equivalent of a punch I suppose.”
Ron stared at her.
“‘Nothing really’? You wouldn’t say that if you were on the receiving end of it!” He fumed. “Besides, if it was ‘nothing really’ then why were you so worried when I went flying across the bloody room?”
Hermione blushed and avoided meeting Ron’s eye. There followed an uncomfortable silence which was finally broken by Ginny.
“Well I guess I’d better go finish your patrol for you then. I don’t think you’re going to be up to it.”
Harry, remembering the horribly sullen first part of their journey, grabbed her arm to stop her leaving.
“No, don’t go Ginny. Look, Colin can finish Ron and Hermione’s prefect duty for them.”
Colin Creevey, who had only just arrived at the door to the compartment, looked taken-aback by this suggestion.
“Um…well…I mean…”
“Thanks Colin!” Harry gushed. “Knew I could count on you!” and with that he shoved him out into the hallway and slid the door shut.
“Harry…” whispered Ginny, “that was really mean!” She giggled conspiratorially and declared “Right! Well, I won that round. Want to try again?”
The rest of the journey went by easily for Harry, who spent the time holding a full-blown tournament of Exploding Snap with Ginny, refusing to admit defeat. He did not notice the sly glances Ron was shooting Hermione across the compartment. Every so often, Hermione would look back in his direction and he would immediately turn away, choosing instead to gaze out of the window until he could be sure she was no longer watching him. Then he would return to staring at her once more. Soon he was no longer aware of any pain in his chest, and was concentrating instead on how Hermione bit her bottom lip when she was thinking, and the way she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt when she was bored.
When the train arrived at Hogwarts, Ron was jolted out of his reverie, feeling extremely foolish.
*****
“Seriously Seamus, you should have seen it! O’Reagan came swooping in from the right and - I don’t know how he did it - just took the quaffle right out of their chaser’s hands! He’s the best player they’ve had in years. I can’t believe you weren’t there…”
Ron was back to his usual self by the time the seventh years were settled in the great hall, and had soon started up a Quidditch-related conversation with Seamus.
“I know Ron, I know. You keep telling me. But I was on holiday remember? Not much chance of watching the match from Thailand, is there?”
Ron chose to ignore Seamus’ excuses and continued to describe the match in full detail. Harry, meanwhile, was talking to Hermione.
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset about it. It’s just Ron for God’s sake! You know he does this all the time.”
“Yes, I do know that Harry. Which is precisely why it irritates me. Honestly, all I have to do is make one tiny mistake and he’s on my back straight away! I’m just fed up with it, that’s all.”
Harry shook his head in confusion.
“Yeah, but that’s what he does. He over-reacts, you argue, then he forgets all about it and you forgive him. What’s changed?”
“Nothing’s changed! Why do you assume that? Could it not be possible that I’m just tired of being the one to forgive him? Can’t he just apologise for being rude for once?”
At this point Harry had to make rapid hushing noises in her direction, as Ron had looked over to see why Hermione was yelling.
“What’s going on over there? You’re not talking about bloody S.P.E.W. again are you?” Ron shouted, food flying in all directions.
“Oi, Ron, mate, could you swallow before aiming your mouth in my general direction?” asked a disgusted Dean Thomas. “Ah gross…I’m covered in chicken…”
As Ron looked away to talk to Dean, Harry turned back to Hermione.
“The thing is, Hermione, he didn’t exactly do anything wrong “ no, wait a minute,” he continued as she tried to protest, “he’d just been thrown against a wall by the ferret and you probably dented his pride. It’s no wonder he got a bit testy.”
Hermione simply glowered at Harry, then returned to her food and chewed with gusto, refusing to discuss the matter any more.
*****
On their way to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione walked along in silence whilst Ron and Harry discussed what they had done during the summer holidays. As soon as the Fat Lady swung aside, she marched across the common room and up the staircase leading to the girls’ dormitory, throwing a “goodnight” over her shoulder.
“What’s up with her?” asked Ron, staring after her. “Anyone would think she was mad at us!”
Harry shook his head in disbelief.
“You are dense, Ron. Of course she’s mad at us.”
“What? But why? Oh, why does she always do this? She gets angry with me over the tiniest little things! If she wasn’t a girl I think I’d have socked her one by now!”
Harry gave an exasperated sigh.
“I’m going to bed. Do me a favour, would you? Don’t ramble on about how infuriating Hermione is when I’m trying to sleep “ I’ve had just about enough of your problems for one day.” And with that, he too walked up the stairs to the dormitory.
“Our problems? Harry? What the bleeding hell are you talking about? Harry!”
Ron disappeared up the stairs, right on Harry’s heels.
*****