1994-11-22: Love's Keen Sting

Participants:

Hermione_icon.gif Ron_icon.gif

Scene Title Love's Keen Sting
Synopsis Ron manages to start talking to Hermione again AND ask her a very important question!
Location Gryffindor Common Room
Date November 22 1994
Watch For Awkwardness. A whole lot of awkwardness.
Logger Ron

Evening is falling on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and with dinner having just gotten over, students are the library, their Common Rooms, or prowling the halls of the school with friends. The Gryffindor Common Room has a few people in it, which provides plenty of seating around the room. Ronald Weasley slowly makes his way down the stairs from the boy's dormitory, a book in one hand and a rolled up piece of parchment, quill, and bottle of ink precariously held in the other one. He finds a seat at a table near the fire, away from the other students, and once he settles in, he pulls his parchment towards him…. just in time for him to begin ignoring it as he turns his eyes towards the roaring fire.

There's always work to be done. And while Hermione has been working on most of it in the library, she does have to return to the Common Room in order to get to her room. Plus, this is where everyone hangs out and she doesn't like to isolate herself from everyone just because Ron was a git and kissed her. Why should he get the Common Room anyway? Hoping he's not in there, she quickly gives the Fat Lady the password and steps through the opening made as the painting tells her irritatedly, "Well, cheerio to you, too, miss. Honestly, a little politeness never went amiss." Sighing, the bushy haired witch mutters, "Thank you," as the painting swings shut behind her.

The sound of the Gryffindor Common Room portrait opening catches Ron's attention, and he looks in the direction of it, spotting Hermione entering. He doesn't do anything to catch her attention, but he doesn't do anything to avoid her, either. He pulls his parchment a bit closer to him, scratching something down with his quill, but as soon as he does, he stops, scratching his head. Damn this homework that they have to do.

Once through the portrait, Hermione glances about and notices Ron quite quickly. His red hair sticks out an dall that. Spotting him doing homework, though, makes her raise a quizzical eyebrow. Since when did Ron ever do homework without the constant needling of Hermione? Well, at least it was a pleasant change. Dropping her books down on an unoccupied table, she pulled out Defense Against the Dark Arts to start on the essay about the Imperious Curse that they were assigned. Better to get it done earlier rather than later.

Looking over at Hermione again for a few moments, Ron turns his eyes back to the parchment at hand. If one were to actually look at what he's working on, it's not so much that Ron has been working on his Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that he's been playing games of hangman all over the parchment. With himself, apparently. Crumpling the piece of parchment up and tossing it into the fire, he suddenly gets up from his table, grabbing all of his stuff, and moves over to where Hermione is sitting, where he opens his mouth— and promptly shuts it again, staring at her.

How is it possible to play hangman against yourself? Shouldn't you already know the word that you're tryng to guessing? And is it possible for Ron to lose against himself. Possibly. When he moves to where Hermione is sitting, she looks up, a bit startled and then waits for him to say whatever it is that he wanted to. When he just shuts his mouth, her brow furrows. "What?" she asks, not exactly irritably, but curious.

Even at Hermione's prompt, Ron doesn't say anything at first. He just sort of stares at her curiously, then looks around the Common Room, before finally looking back to her. "Hi," he says, the word seeming to give him a bit of courage. Should he be doing this after all this time he's spent trying to avoid her? And considering their last real contact was, well— him kissing her, even if it was the love potion guiding his actions? Probably not, but hey, he's going to do it anyway. "…willyougototheballwithme?" he says in a fierce rush, the words blurting out of his mouth before he has a real chance to stop and rethink this.

"Hello," Hermione responds, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. They're in the same House and are both friends with Harry. They see each other every day. Despite the fact that they both have gotten into the routine of ignoring each other - mostly because of Ron's attitude. Despite the kiss in the potions lab, the witch has decided to chalk it all up to the potion and not to anything else. If he were still under the effects of that very same potion, she would understand his question. However, he said it in such a rush, she's not at all sure that she did hear it properly. "Wait, what? Speak slower, Ron, I can't understand you. Did you say something about 'width'?"

Oh, for the love of Merlin's pants! He has to repeat it? Huffing slightly, Ron suddenly sits down at the table, book, quill, parchment, and ink all getting placed down as well. He takes a deep breath, and much in a much slower voice, he manages to repeat the question. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

When Ron repeats his request a second time, Hermione raises both her eyebrows in surprise. That was really the last thing she was expecting him to ask her. Speechless for a moment, all she can think to say at first is, "You're not still under Amortentia, are you?" Because that's the only reason she can think of for him to ask her to the Yule Ball.

Ouch. Ron can't deny that that one sort of hurts, but he moves past it, because it is a fair question. "No," he says, leaning back slightly, focusing his gaze intently on a piece of parchment in front of him, pulling at the edge of it, if only so he has something to do during this intensely awkward moment. Oh god, what if she says yes? Ron would like that, sure, because he did ask, but.. to actually go..

"Oh!" Hermione seriously thought he'd managed to find a way to divert both cures that he'd taken and slipped through only to ask her now under the influence of some potion. Now, she blushes even more. "I'm sorry, Ron, but I've already said I'd go with someone."

No, he's most definitely not under the spell of Amortentia, although, he certainly wishes he was now. "Oh," he says dumbly, slowly looking up at Hermione. "Well, that's fine," he says, even if he does look disappointed. He pulls the piece of parchment towards him, and he opens up his Defense Against the Dark Arts book as well. "Wh— who are you going with?"

Perhaps if they were both drugged that would make this a lot easier. Hermione looks upset that she's hurt Ron in some way - since he does look hurt and awkward. "Danny," she replies in a rush. Though how it's possible to rush out a single name is beyond comprehension. "You'll find someone to go with, Ron. I'm sure you will."

"Yeah, sure," is the, once again, simple reply from Ron. Danny.. that fifth year bloke? Ron thinks he may have seen him around before, but he isn't quite sure. He turns his attention back to the parchment, and he begins to scratch something out on it. Looks like he's starting the essay Moody set last time they were all in class. Actually doing without being needled by someone? It's a first, it seems, but then, in Ron's eyes, the situation calls for it. It's a good distraction.

Feeling terrible about how awkward and horrible this situation has turned into, Hermione frowns. "Do you want help with that?" she asks quietly and kindly. It's the first time she's actually offered to help him with his homework without him having to bug her for help. It's not exactly like she's pitying him, but she certainly feels bad about the whole situation.

"What?" Ron suddenly says, looking back up at Hermione. "Oh— no," he says, scowling at the paper. "Should be pretty easy, considering he actually used the curse on me, and then made me hold a bloody spider," he says savagely, writing too hard with his quill so that he actually scratches right through the parchment. It seems his anger over what Moody did would be a good point to use to move this discussion away from the ball and the fact Hermione already has a date. Hopefully she won't interpret it that his anger is directed at her.

"Help," Hermione replies pointing at the parchment he's started his homework on. When he denies her hep, she shrugs again, already realizing that this must be bad when Ron doesn't want any help to finish a three inch parchment assignment. Oh dear. "He Imperius'd most of us, Ron. He tried to make me rip up my Arithmancy homework." A sin of the worst caliber. "Stop using that word."

"You were able to fix it, at least," Ron says, shuddering slightly at the memory of the spider. "Which was really cruel, too. Anyone who goes to this school knows how you are with homework, and he tries to make you rip it up? He's off his rocker." He holds up his essay, surveying it to see how it is so far. It has! …. his name on it. "… maybe I should get some help," he says, giving Hermione an apologetic look at the usage of his favorite curse word. Pretty please?

"I was prepared. You weren't." Which is the truth. Hermione had time to stand up and steel herself for the onslaught. Ron was caught completely off guard. "I think that was the point, Ron. He was trying to make us all act exactly how we wouldn't. To see how far he could push us. It's no more than Death Eaters would do. They'd have us kill our friends. Try to kill Harry." Which is why Moody is trying to teach them what he is. "Not that using the Curse against us in class is right!" Of course it isn't, but the witch understands why it happened. "I already offered to help you," she gives him a wry smile.

"I'm definitely taking you up on that, then," Ron says, offering her a smirk back. Truth be told, he's glad to just be talking to his friend again, rejection or not. At least she didn't flat out just say no.

"Alright then." Hermione smiles back at Ron, glad that they're actually back to normal. Or as normal as the two of them can manage to get in such circumstances. Leaning over to get a better look at his parchment, she offers her first piece of advice, "You should probably start with writing something other than your name."

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