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| Starring: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger - Hermione receives a letter from Viktor Krum, prompting an outlash from Ron. Finally, after waiting so long to say it and dealing with all of his crap, Hermione asks Ron why he cares. |
| Harry couldn�t help it. Watching Ron and Hermione was more amusing than anything he had ever seen in his fifteen years of life.
Playing chess with Ron at The Burrow that summer was uneventful. Everyone in the entire house knew how poorly Harry played. It was no contest when he was up against the �Chess Champ� as Charlie affectionately called his younger brother. However, Harry found it somewhat amusing that since Ron�s invitation to Hermione had been accepted, his friend�s chess playing skills had gradually slumped. Ron�s chess pieces screamed at him angrily, upset by the sudden lack in victories. They barked at him as his fingers lingered over each piece absentmindedly. His blue eyes traveled upward toward the brunette reading in the living room chair and then back quickly down at his pieces just in case she looked up. Harry hadn�t been completely blind to the developing relationship between his two best friends. He rather enjoyed watching them squirm under each other�s stares. Dumbledore had given the Weasleys� permission to snag Harry from the Dursleys� clutches a month into the holidays. Of course, Ron had been delighted with Harry�s presence at The Burrow. He complained loudly about Percy�s constant tedious ramblings about his job and the reports he had to fill out. Harry�s mere presence in the household brought relief to Ron�s senses. �It�s a good thing you got here when you did,� he said to Harry in an undertone as he scooted by Percy�s room. �If I had to spend another minute hearing him talk about the chaotic business of book distributing� I�d hex him into being interesting.� In only a matter of days, Ron had grown tiresome of the same things. All they could find to do was play chess and Quidditch. Harry was even beginning to feel boredom stretch into his system. He would rather have been bored with Ron at The Burrow than anywhere in the entire world. However, he knew it was inevitable when Ron asked his mother if Hermione could come as well. Ginny was ecstatic. �Finally,� she gasped to Ron. �You�re friends with someone sensible.� Ron muttered a curse word at his younger sister as he tied Hermione�s invitation to Errol�s leg and watched him leave. Hermione had responded the next day and they had gone to pick her up the day after that. Now things were tense. Hermione had already gotten all of her new school textbooks and was rereading her favorite book, Hogwarts, A History. Granted they had found a lot more to do with Hermione there, but Ron�s big mouth had suddenly put an end to their fun week. Hermione had promised to show them a few Charms so they could be a little ahead of everyone when school came along, when a big orange ball of fur came running into the room. �Why hello, Crookshanks,� she greeted, setting her wand down and engulfing her cat into a warm hug. �What have you got there?� Hermione looked down to see her cat holding something in his mouth. It appeared to be a letter. She opened it and began to read. Harry and Ron stared at her confusedly as her cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson. Harry knew all too well what that look meant. Unfortunately, so did Ron. Hermione threw the letter aside distractedly and picked her wand up. Ron frowned. �Who sent the letter, Hermione?� �It�s not important,� she said cautiously, lifting her wand again. But Ron was insistent. �Who sent the letter, Hermione?� he enunciated each word. �It�s not important,� she repeated in the same fashion as Ron. Ron�s ears grew red and fury crept across his face. In one very fluid like movement, he jumped over Hermione and grasped the letter in his hands. Shaking with anger, Hermione stood up, clutching her wand. �Give me that letter!� Ron opened it and disgust dripped in his tone. �I KNEW IT! It�s from Vicky!� �RONALD WEASLEY! GIVE ME THAT LETTER OR SO HELP ME I�LL�� � �Dearest Hermione,� � Ron read in what he thought was his best syrupy, Bulgarian accent. � �It has been too long since I saw you last�� � �Expelliarmus!� she shouted, and watched the letter soar from his hands into her own. She folded it and stormed from the bedroom. Ron, however, wasn�t about to be undone. He followed her and Harry could only get up and follow. �How long has this been going on, eh, Hermione? Have you and Vicky been sending each other love letters all summer?� Hermione said nothing, making her way up to Ginny�s room. Ron, however, wouldn�t relent. �Oh, come on! The least you can do is admit it. You and Vicky are probably making wedding plans by now, huh? Just do me a favor, Hermione, and don�t invite me. The last thing I need to see is you and that ugly git� kissing� ew!� Harry didn�t want to say anything, but he was pretty sure that Ron had just crossed the line. The fiery look in Hermione�s eyes when she turned around and faced Ron reminded him somewhat of his Uncle Vernon. �I DO have something to ask you, Ron, and I�ve wanted to ask you this ever since the Yule Ball last year.� Ron dared to step up closer toward her, causing Hermione�s neck to crane upward. Ron was a good foot taller than her. �Oh?� he asked. �And what is that?� She didn�t falter. Her brown eyes pierced into his as she asked in a very malicious, venomous tone, �Why do you care?� Ron was struck dumb. Hermione only let him bumble for a couple of seconds before she turned, her brown hair whipping behind her, and slammed the door to Ginny�s room. It was the night after the infamous question had been asked, and it was all Harry could do to keep his mouth shut as he watched Ron gaze at Hermione from time to time. �Don�t move me there, you dirty git!� Ron jumped at the sound of his angry bishop screaming at him. He heaved a frustrated sigh for the eighth time that night, or so Hermione had counted. She was trying her best not to pay attention to their game, but she couldn�t help it. She had caught Harry�s eye once or twice and pretended that she was interested in what they were doing. Realizing that she had no further purpose in the living room, she groaned, slammed her book shut, and walked upstairs. Ron started at Hermione�s book slam. He whipped his head around just in time to see her stalk from the living room. He looked back at the game, pretending not to care about what he had just seen. In a matter of minutes, he had Harry licked. He sighed, sitting back and staring at the now empty living room. Harry noticed it too, and as he busied himself with clearing off the chessboard, he said quietly to his friend, �Go talk to her.� Ron looked up, wide-eyed. �Excuse me?� �Go talk to her.� He remained seated as he watched Harry set up for another game. He needed no more persuasion. He stood up and walked out of the room and up the stairs toward Ginny�s door. Ginny however, was not in the room. She had disappeared into the bathroom for her shower that night. Reaching a trembling hand out to knock on the door, Ron gave a good three pounds on it before he heard a muffled, �Who is it?� He cleared his throat and realized that as steady as he wanted it, his voice cracked. �It�s me.� A sniffling sound came from the other side. �Go away, Ron.� Ron was persistent. He opened the door and poked his head inside. �May I come in?� he whispered. She scoffed. �You�re already in, aren�t you?� she asked angrily, getting up and walking past him to push the door closed. He caught sight of her face really quickly and saw, much to his chagrin, that her cheeks were tearstained. She brushed them off angrily, arranging herself on the bed so she didn�t have to look him in the face. �What is it?� Suddenly faced with the possibility of actually saying something left him speechless. �Well� I was actually�� Hermione only sniffled in response. �If you�re not going to say anything, get out.� He sighed heavily. �Will you look at me?� �What?� He dared to step closer to the bed where she was perched and repeated, �Will you please look at me?� She did so, turning around on the bed and staring down at her knees. She then looked up at him. He was right, she had been crying. This only caused guilt to furrow deeper in him. �What?� she asked again. �Hermione� I didn�t mean what I said last night.� �Well it sure did sound like it,� she snapped at him rudely. �Well, I didn�t. I�m really s-sorry for what I said to you,� he said quietly. She looked up at him quickly, as if to make sure he had been sincere in what he was saying. �You really hurt me, Ron. You don�t even know the whole story.� Ron sighed, walking toward her gingerly. He wanted to be sitting right next to her suddenly. He even wanted to hold her hand� as awkward as it sounded. �But you really made me think, Hermione,� he sighed. He was staring at his hands. How was he going to word this? �What you asked�why do I care�it suddenly started to make sense to me�� She looked up at him with great interest now. Her sparkling brown eyes still shone with tears. �I thought about it� I know why I care so much. And I think you do too.� She nodded subtly. �I�ve been waiting for you to say it.� He panicked. Did that mean she wasn�t going to say it either? �I don�t want him to take my place,� he rushed quickly. �I don�t want him to win your heart� because I um�� she watched politely. �I think I l-l�� Hermione scooted down on the bed and patted the seat next to her. He felt his heart beat rapidly as he sat down next to her. Hermione was so close to him now� almost close enough to kiss� �Why do you care?� she repeated. �I don�t want Viktor to take my place,� he repeated back to her. �He was never going to,� she reassured him. He stared at her, nonplussed. �I told him that I wasn�t interested in getting involved right now, and he understood. We�ve been exchanging platonic letters ever since. The one I got last night was only his response to what I�d written last time.� Ron gulped. �Why does he call you �dearest Hermione�? � She shrugged. �He�s been calling me that ever since we started exchanging letters. I guess it�s kind of my nickname.� They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Ron�s eyes traveled down onto the bed, where his and Hermione�s hands were closely placed together. After a brief pause, he finally gathered the courage to take her hand in his. She looked up abruptly, surprised by the electricity that passed between them. Ron was in complete awe over how soft her hand was under his. At great length, he spoke. �You know why I care, Hermione. Do I have to say it?� �I would like you to.� And that was all that mattered. Hermione wanted him to. �I�ve always cared that he�s been out for your heart� because you have mine. It hurt too much to know someone else had gotten there before me.� �Are you saying�?� �I guess I am.� �Ron?� �Hermione?� �I love you, too.� Their eyes met briefly before Hermione closed hers and leaned her head forward to Ron�s. He, in turn, shut his eyes and closed the connection. Their lips met and for a few minutes, there was peace between them. All their previous fights and tension and hateful words slipped from their memories. All there was suddenly was that one kiss� that wonderful sharing of feelings. And knowing, all the while, that his efforts had not been in vain. He had not been jealous for nothing. He loved Hermione, and she loved him too. And there was an honest, valid reason� why he had cared. |