Disclaimer: Need I say it? Well...yes actually, if I don't want to be sued. So, characters=not mine.
*****
It was around two weeks after the punching incident and Hermione had returned late to the common room, having been studying in the library for a Muggle Studies test. Exhausted, she trudged slowly up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory, heavy bag hanging from her shoulder. When she reached the door however, something made her pause. Listening carefully, she could hear Lavender and Parvatti giggling inside.
“I just don’t understand why it’s taking them so long to get together!” Lavender exclaimed, “It’s obvious that she likes him.”
“I don’t think they ever will get together,” Parvatti replied.
“What do you mean? Don’t you think they’re perfect for each other?”
Hermione pressed her ear to the door; curious to know who the girls were talking about.
“I’m not sure. I know it’s obvious that Hermione’s besotted, but I don’t think he’s interested.”
Hermione gave a small gasp. They were talking about her!
“Oh come on, she just has to touch him and his face goes as red as his hair!” Lavender laughed.
Outside the door, Hermione’s heart skipped a beat. They couldn’t be talking about…her and Ron?
Parvatti, however, pressed on.
“Yes but how do you know that’s a good thing? They’re always fighting. And,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “the other day I heard him talking to Dean and Seamus. They kept asking him when he was going to admit that he liked her, and honestly Lavender, he sounded deadly serious when he denied it.”
“Maybe he’s just a good actor,” Lavender protested.
“Fine, maybe he is,” Parvatti was beginning to sound frustrated, “but then how do you explain what happened next? Seamus and Dean finally started to believe him and Seamus made some joke about it being ‘a lucky thing that he didn’t like her, because who would want Hermione for a girlfriend’. And,” she concluded dramatically, “Ron laughed with them.”
Lavender breathed in sharply.
“What a horrible thing to do!” she gasped, “I suppose you must be right, he can’t like her. Oh poor Hermione…” she said, sadly.
Meanwhile, outside in the corridor, Hermione's bag slid to the floor. Everything had gone blurry, and she angrily brushed the tears away from her eyes. Feeling unable to enter the dormitory, she slowly descended the stairs instead, and returned to the empty common room.
*****
Ron dragged himself into the Gryffindor common room very late that evening, after spending what felt like an eternity polishing and dusting for Filch. Stretching upwards, he felt his back and shoulders click out of their stiffness, and gave a weary sigh. It was only when he paused for a minute that he heard noises coming from near the fireplace. Surprised that anyone was still up, he moved closer until he rounded the sofa and saw Hermione huddled on the floor, head on her knees.
“Hermione,” he said quietly, “what are you doing up?”
“Go away Ron,” she said in a muffled voice.
Ron, however, crouched down next to her, and nudged her gently.
“What’s the matter, Hermione?” he asked, looking intently at where he guessed the side of her face must have been.
Suddenly, Hermione raised her head and looked at Ron, her eyes red and her cheeks wet with tears.
“I said, go away, Ron!”
She stared at him angrily, waiting for him to get up and leave. However Ron was persistent.
“What is it? What have I done?” he asked, confused.
Hermione’s eyes narrowed with anger and in a flash she reached out and pushed him so hard that he toppled over backwards.
“What have you done?” she fumed, “What have you done?”
Ron attempted to sit up but Hermione was now driving her fists repeatedly into his chest. His eyes widened at this sudden change in character.
“I thought we were friends Ronald! God forbid that, after spending over six years with you, I thought that you liked me! How could you? HOW COULD YOU BE SO MEAN?” she shouted, wild-eyed and still sobbing. “Why would anyone be that…that cruel! So no one would want a girlfriend like me, huh? Well thanks a whole bloody bunch Ron, that really made my day!”
He suddenly realised what she was upset about, and his face fell.
In between punches and sobs he tried to apologise, “Hermione! Hermione, listen, I never meant for you to hear about that!”
He winced, realising what a stupid thing that was to say when she growled in anger and punched him harder.
“Damnit, no, that’s not what I meant!” he shouted over her cries of “Bastard!” and “Heartless coward!”
“I only went along with it because I didn’t want them to think they were right, Hermione, because they’d have given me a right bollocking! But it was stupid, and I’m sorry. Hermione, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it. You should know that!”
He grabbed at her fists to stop her hitting at him, and forced her to look in his direction.
“I’m so sorry if I upset you, Hermione.”
Hermione continued to cry, but she was calmer now. Her head dropped down onto his shoulder and instinctively Ron wrapped his arms around her and rocked her slowly back and forth, muttering “I’m so sorry,” over and over.
As her tears stopped, he began to absent-mindedly stroke her hair.
“You know I’d never intentionally hurt you Hermione, you’re far too important to me.”
Ron had struggled to say it, but he was glad that he did when she looked at him and smiled, resting her head against his chest.
“I know Ron, it’s alright,” she said, sleepily.
*****
At around two o’clock in the morning Harry awoke, feeling uneasy, and fumbled around for his glasses. He hadn’t been sleeping well. Ron wasn’t in the dormitory when he went to bed and, with a quick glance around the room, he saw that he was still not back.
Worried, Harry got up and put on his dressing gown. Reaching for the invisibility cloak, he decided to go and search for him.
However Harry paused when he reached the bottom of the stairs. By the dim light of the fire he could see two figures slumped against the sofa in the middle of the common room. As he tiptoed closer, he realised with some surprise that it was Ron and Hermione. Hermione was curled up on her side, her head resting in Ron’s lap. Even from a distance, Harry could see Ron’s fingers entwined in her hair, as they both slept peacefully. He was about to return upstairs to the boys’ dormitory, but then realised that the pair would probably not want to be found in their current position by their fellow Gryffindors.
Thinking quickly, Harry picked up a book from a nearby table and retreated some way up the stairs, pausing to let the book tumble down and land noisily on the floor of the common room. He saw Hermione begin to stir, and ducked out of sight, returning to his bed.
*****
Hermione awoke slowly, not really sure why she was awake so early. Suddenly she became aware of where she was, and felt Ron’s fingers in her hair. Cheeks colouring a deep red, she carefully eased herself up from his lap. He awoke with a start.
“Huh? Hermione…” it seemed that he too realised what they must have looked like, as he blushed fiercely.
“What time is it?” she asked quietly, looking anywhere but at Ron.
“Um…it’s about two o’clock I think,” he muttered.
Without speaking she got to her feet, and took a few steps away from him.
“I’m going to go…” she motioned to the stairs leading to the girls’ dormitory, and Ron nodded.
“Yeah, right. I’d better as well.”
He got up and began to move towards the security of his room, but stopped before he got to the stairs.
“Hermione?” he began, turning to look at her.
“Yes?” she said, still unable to meet his eyes.
“About yesterday, and…that thing…I’m just…well, I’m “ ”
“It’s alright. I understand.” Hermione cut him off, and smiled. Ron smiled back.
“Forget about it, ok?” she said softly.
“Yeah…ok,” he grinned, and turned back to walk up the stairs.
*****
Harry heard the door open and close quietly, and saw Ron move quietly over to his bed out of the corner of his eye. He heard the squeak of bedsprings and a small sigh.
There was silence in the room again as Harry stared up at the ceiling, brows knitted in thought, wondering what the next day would bring.
*****