Hermione waited anxiously for Ron to enter the common room. She'd just found out about the upcoming ball and was very excited. This was her chance to tell Ron how she really felt. This was her chance to find out if he liked her.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were walking back to the common room, Ron acting a lot more nervous around Harry than Harry was used to. "Ron?" he said. "Are you okay? You seem really skittish ever since we left Hagrid's hut."
Ron gulped. "I'm fine," he said. He wouldn't let Harry know that he liked him. He didn't want to ruin their friendship. But he couldn't keep it a secret forever. "I just got a bit creeped out by Hagrid's spider, that's all."
"Oh, okay," Harry said. Harry wasn't stupid. He knew Ron had something troubling him, but having been friends with him for years, Harry knew better than to get involved. Ron would only get defensive and it would end in an argument. "So," Harry started, "who do you think you'll be asking to the Ball?"
"Uh-I-uh-um-I-don't-uh-know," Ron stuttered. "I haven't-um-really-uh-thought about it." he lied. Of course Ron wanted to ask Harry to the Ball, but he couldn't. Nobody (in his knowledge) knew that Ron was gay and he wasn't prepared to tell anyone anytime soon.
"Right," Harry replied. He was very confused. Ron wasn't acting like Ron.
They walked into the common room five minutes later. Hermione stood up from her chair as they entered. "Oh," she said. "Hey Ron."
Ron looked at Hermione. "Hey."
"No, 'Hey Harry' then?" Harry interrupted. Hermione smiled. "Sorry Harry," she said. "How was it at Hagrids'?"
"Good," Harry replied. "He has a new spider."
"Oh."
"I'm just going to nip to the loo, Hermione, I'll be back in a minute and tell you all about it," Harry said leaving the common room once more. Hermione sat back down on her chair and Ron sat on the settee by the fireplace. Hermione looked at Ron. "So..." she started. "Have you heard about the Christmas Ball?"
"Yeah," Ron said fishing around his pockets, until he eventually pulled out a chocolate frog. "Hagrid told us," he said biting into the chocolate.
"Do you have any idea who you're going to take?"
"Well I have an idea who I'd like to take, but...I don't know if they like me back...I don't think they do," Ron said not looking Hermione in the eye.
Hermione's mind was going crazy. Did he mean her? Did he like her back? Did he want to take her to the ball?! "What if I was to say they liked you back?..."
Ron's head snapped up to look at Hermione. "They do!?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Hermione said. "She really, really does..."
Ron looked bewildered. "Wait, what?! Who are you talking about?"
"What?"
"Who are you talking about?" Ron repeated.
Hermione stood up and walked to the common room door. "Why don't you go and see where Harry's got to? He's been a while," she said changing the subject.
Ron stood up. "Hermione. Who were you talking about?!"
"Ron, it doesn't matter anymore..."
"No Hermione, stop being so utterly STUPID! Tell me!" Ron shouted.
Hermione turned around and ran out of the common room door, leaving Ron bewildered about the information he had just obtained.
***
Hermione walked quickly down the corridor. Why did Ron have to be so horrible? She didn't want to ruin their friendship. She didn't want to make a big deal about her feelings. She tried not to get upset about it. 'I didn't technically ask him if he wanted to go to the ball with me,' she thought. 'He might have genuinely been confused by what I meant.' Hermione sighed. this was pointless. If Ron didn't want to go to the ball with her, she'd find someone else, like Seamus maybe? As she was thinking about who she could ask, she heard a voice.
"He's gay, don't bother."
A curly haired boy wearing a Ravenclaw scarf bumped into her as he said this, and then walked off with a short Hufflepuff. Hermione stood still, then ran after the strange pair.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"Ron Weasley, he's gay. I heard you liked him and you were going to ask him to the Ball. Don't bother. He likes Harry Potter. Now move please, John and I have somewhere to be."
Hermione stood still, trying to conceal her shock. "Uh, actually, I wasn't interested in asking Ron," she lied.
The Ravenclaw boy scoffed. "Purr-lease! Come on John, lets go," he said walking away arm in arm with his companion (who was obviously more than just his friend). Hermione watched the pair walk off and her eyes started to well up. She'd been fawning over Ron this entire time, and he didn't even like her! She'd made herself look like a complete idiot. Tears began to stream down Hermione's face. She turned around and began to run down the corridor. Before she had reached the end of the corridor she slammed into someone and fell onto the floor. Hermione put her head in her hands and wept. This day couldn't have gone any worse.
"Hey, don't cry," a voice said. Hermione looked up at the person she had crashed into. "Draco," she said. Another tear fell down Hermione's face. Draco brought his hand up to Hermione's cheek and brushed the tear away. He smiled. Hermione smiled awkwardly back. Draco put out his hand and pulled her up from the ground. Hermione sniffed. "I must look so stupid," she said wiping her eyes. Draco smiled. "No you don't," he said. "It's fine to cry. Everybody does sometimes."
Hermione looked at Draco confused. She'd never got to know Draco. She'd always thought of him as arrogant and thought that he took pleasure in the misery of others. She now thought she might have been wrong this entire time.
***
"So, what happened?"
Hermione and Draco were sat together on a bench in the corridor. After calming down and wiping her tears away, Hermione had taken Draco's kindness. She sighed. "It doesn't matter. I was just being stupid."
"Well you looked pretty upset," Draco said. "It can't have been something that didn't matter."
Hermione looked at Draco. She felt like she trusted him. "Well, its about the Ball. I wanted to ask somebody and...I can't anymore."
Draco gasped. Ron. She was talking about Ron. "Why couldn't you ask him?" Draco inquired, trying to act as calm as he could.
"He likes somebody else..." Hermione replied. "I've made such a fool out of myself."
Draco put his arm around Hermione. "Its not your fault. And you haven't made a fool out of yourself."
Draco looked up at the old clock on the corridor wall. His next lesson had already begun, but he didn't care. Hermione smiled. "Thank you," she said. she reached over and lightly kissed his cheek. Hermione got up and started to walk away.
"Wait!" Draco said catching up with her. "Um, I wondered if, um, you wanted to maybe go to the Ball with me? You know as friends?" he said nervously.
"Yeah," Hermione said. "I'd like that."
They shared a smile and Draco rushed off to class, he was going to be so late!
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The truths all coming out now! :)
We hope you enjoyed this chapter. This chapter focused more on Dremione more than any other ship, but in the chapters to come, there might be some others too ;) You'll just have to wait and see...
If you did enjoy this, make sure to vote and comment and we'll see you in the next chapter :D
-DumblediusClaudore
