Ron Weasley stopped scribbling and sighed.
It was a beautiful day. And also the day when the first Hogsmeade trip of the year had been organized. He looked out of the window, his quill dangling from his lips. The falling snow combined with the rare tranquility of the common room was lulling him into a deep sleep. Shaking his head, he stood up, yawned, stretched and strolled over to the window. He put his forehead against the cool glass and let out a deep breath.
He knew he was supposed to be completing his essay for Snape. But there was only one thought on his mind: Hermione Granger…
He had been harbouring a soft spot for her since their fourth year but had never gathered up enough courage to tell her so. It was a delicate matter capable of jeopardizing their friendship and he didn’t want to lose whatever relationship he had with her. But this time, encouraged by Harry’s constant egging, he had made up his mind to ask her to Hogsmeade but bloody Snape had to ruin it all.
Ron had accidentally caused a great havoc in the Defence Against The Dark Arts class last Thursday, pronouncing the sleep inducing spell wrong and managing to cover Gregory Goyle’s face (who happened to be his partner that day) with huge purple blotches. Snape had been furious and as a detention he had been detained from going to Hogsmeade and instead was spending his weekend writing a two feet long essay on ‘Pronunciation of spells, their importance and harmful consequences’.
Well, asking Hermione had been useless after the incident as he wouldn’t be going after all. Besides, she was also furious with him for botching up in class again.
He felt like strangling Snape to death by the strands of his own greasy hair. Or suffocating him by stuffing fistfuls of Gillyweed down his throat…
–That’s not a bad idea,†he wondered aloud, –I would be doing the world a favour.â€
Quickly, he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and wrote on top: A hundred ways to murder Snape in the most painful way possible. He then jotted out the two ideas he had thought of and started thinking hard about number three.
He had been so engrossed in his scheming that he never noticed a tawny owl float in till it nipped his finger.
–Ow,†he yelped and glaring at it, he ripped open the letter that it had dumped on his essay.
It read:
Dear Little Ronniekins,
Just heard from Ginny that you were detained from Hogsmeade and thus your plans to kindle a romance with dear Hermione went all amiss.
Being such caring, nice and helpful brothers we decided to do you a favour. Expect us in the Gryffindor common room fireplace any time.
Lots of sincere love
Fred and George
As soon as he read the letter, Ron felt his anger boil up. Trust Ginny to tell something like this to the twins. And trust Harry to tell something like this to Ginny. He was going to murder them both. Thinking that, he balled up the letter and threw it into the fireplace with all his might.
–Ow,†came a voice from there, –Is that a way to welcome your brother who has come all the way from Diagon Alley just to help you?â€
–Tsk, tsk,†another well known voice joined in, –Where are your manners, little brother?â€
Ron was aghast. He hurried over to the fireplace and sure enough, he found himself looking down at the heads of the twins. He had thought that was all a joke but suddenly he reminded himself: one should put nothing beyond Fred and George Weasley.
–So, getting straight to business, Ginny told us that you were planning to ask out Hermione on a date today,†Fred said.
Ron nodded in affirmative.
Both the twins grinned devilishly and George chimed in, –At last. Our ickle Ronniekins has grown up.â€
Ron felt his ears turn crimson but maintaining his composure he replied indignantly, –So what? As it is I couldn’t do it because of this bloody detention. I don’t need you to hound me too.â€
–Aw,†Fred said, –Don’t misunderstand us. We are the most considerate…â€
–Loving…†George said.
–Caring…â€
–Understanding…â€
–Helpful…â€
–And compassionate brothers you can ever wish for.â€
Ron rolled his eyes.
–And thus we have a plan for you,†Fred completed with a grin.
Ron suddenly perked up. He knew that the twins were not trustworthy always in these type of matters but what was the harm in listening to their plans. Maybe, just a teensy-weensy bit of maybe, they had got something good up their sleeves.
Acting nonchalant while his heart was thumping madly, he said, –Okay. I will hear you out.â€
–That’s like our brother. Now, listen very, very carefully. There is a secret passage from behind the tapestry depicting the Goblin War on the fourth floor. If you enter the passage and take three consecutive left turns followed by a right turn, you will encounter a trap door.â€
–And that will lead you to a desolate shack some yards away from the Hog’s Head.â€
–Are you sure?†Ron asked skeptically.
–Did you listen Freddie? Ron doubts us.â€
–Yeah, Georgie. I guess this isn’t a world of goodness anymore.â€
–Alright, alright. I trust you,†Ron said, more to pacify them than anything else.
–Good boy,†both the twins said in unison and with a last combined good luck and a suggestive wink from Fred later they were gone leaving Ron alone with his thoughts again.
The next ten minutes saw Ron furiously pacing the length of the common room with his hands folded in front of his chest and his brow furrowed in deep concentration.
–Maybe they do want to help,†Ron decided after a long time, –Couldn’t hurt to try, isn’t it?â€
With that decided, he squared his shoulders and a light grin formed on his features. He checked the time and found out that it was quite late. The students will be already leaving the town. The first of the carriages will be arriving within a quarter of an hour.
But he knew that Hermione would be in the last ones because of Prefect duties. If he hurried now, he would be able to catch her. He had roughly a little more than an hour in his hand.
Adjusting his clothes and running his hand through his hair to straighten it a bit, he dashed out of the common room and towards the fourth floor.
He was going to sweep Hermione Granger off her feet.
Almost forty-five minutes later, Ron found himself moving up and down the labyrinth of the snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade trying to locate Hermione. Fred and George had been right. He had encountered no difficulty in reaching the town but now his nerve was failing. He knew that if he didn’t locate her fast and do it, he will not be able to summon up the courage again.
–But where is she?†he murmured aloud.
After searching for about fifteen minutes, he decided that it was a lost case. Agitated, he kicked a nearby dustbin which fell down with a crash. Swearing under his breath, he pulled his jacket a little closer to himself. It was getting very chilly as the night progressed and he was sorry that he had forgotten to bring his cloak in his haste.
Sighing, he decided to return to the castle. Suddenly, out of nowhere he heard a voice.
It was a girl giggling.
Intrigued and hopeful, he moved towards the voice and was overjoyed when he spotted her. She was chatting animatedly with Ernie MacMillan and a Hufflepuff prefect he didn’t recognize.
She was looking so radiant in her simplicity. Her nose had gone a little pink from the cold. She was rubbing her hands together for warmth and her laughter was echoing down the street.
Ron felt his heartbeat quicken. For him, she was the epitome of perfection. Her bushy hair and her carefree grin always left him mesmerized. He felt as if he could stand there forever watching her like that.
Suddenly it struck him. With a jolt he realized what his feelings for her actually meant.
It was not a simple crush or an attraction. He didn’t just like her.
He loved her
Yes.
Ron Weasley was in love.
With Hermione Granger.
And that was when he decided that he had to come out with it. He was going to proclaim his love for her and leave everything rest to fate. The setting was perfect. The weather too was pleasant.
He took a deep breath and conjured up a bouquet of red roses. He smelled them and found that they were fresh and heavenly. Next, he conjured up a small card and waved his wand over it twice and smiled inwardly. It was the perfect gift for her. With determination written large on his face, he took a step towards her.
But before he could go any further, he heard a faint rustling behind him. He turned to investigate, all senses on alert and wand at the ready.
But all he could see was a flash of platinum blond hair before something hit the side of his head and the world went black.
Hermione Granger waved away the second last lot of carriages and was waiting with her fellow seventh year prefects for the last batch to arrive. She had been chatting with her friends when out of the corner of her eye she spotted something on the sidewalk about twenty yards away.
–Hey, Ernie,†she whispered to the Ravenclaw prefect, –Save me a seat, will you? I will be right back.â€
–Sure, Hermione,†Ernie smiled back, –But come soon.â€
Assured, Hermione walked up to the spot that had drawn her attention. Looking around, she spotted no one in her vicinity. Just when she had blamed it all to her fatigue and was turning to go, her feet hit something very soft.
Curious, she bent down and picked up the object.
A smile formed on her lips when she saw that it was a bouquet of roses. She smelled it and her senses were overcome by its sweet scent. She turned it around to find a small card poking out of the midst of the roses. She plucked it out but before she could open it…
–Hermione, come on. The last carriage has arrived. Hurry up if you do not want to freeze to death here,†came Ernie’s voice.
Shivering lightly, she realized that it had started to drizzle a little. Normally, she loved rains. As a child, she would often go out and enjoy the feel of the cool showers on her skin.
But today it filled her with a strange sadness and a sense of foreboding. She felt as if something important has been taken away from her. A certain type of void formed in her as she looked at the beautiful flowers in her hands again.
She heard Ernie’s voice again and shaking herself out of her thoughts, she gently laid the flowers on the road again. On a sudden impulse she withdrew the card from the bunch and pocketing it, ran to board the last carriage.
Harry Potter and the Sinister Plot by weasley-malfoy-aficionado
Chapter Notes: DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot of this story. Everything else belongs to JKR.
Chapter Endnotes: Please leave your reviews.