Wallflower

Hermione looked hopefully at the table where Harry and Ron had been sitting, while she and Draco were walking away, and her smile disappeared. Ron and Ana were leaving the table. Ron hadn't even looked. He was supposed to be dazed! He was supposed to come begging to her feet, pleading for her to give her affections! Why wasn't this working?

And why was Draco holding onto to her hand still?

Hermione looked at where they were going. Outside of the Great Hall, near the doors. It was eerily quiet, and the situation was getting more uncomfortable by the second. Malfoy stopped, and turned toward her.

"What are you doing?" Hermione started, when he pulled her into a kiss. She pulled away quickly, angry and flustered at the same time.

"What are you doing?" she repeated. Draco sighed nervously and smoothed back his hair.

"Listen, Granger, I won't deny it anymore. I like you, a lot, and since Weasley isn't coming around, well," he said quickly, and grabbed her again. Hermione didn't pull away as quickly this time.

A fatal mistake.

Because just at that moment, Ronald Weasley rushed out into the hall, panting slightly, a funny, lopsided grin on his face, which slowly disappeared. He just stood there, watching them, in half shock and half disgust.

Hermione turned away from Draco, and looked right into Ron's eyes. They stood there, for only a moment, until Ron turned away and began walking up the stairs, in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione quickly ran after him, ignoring a protest from Malfoy.

"Ron!" she called, catching up to him. He didn't turn. Hermione jumped in front of him.

"What do you want?" Ron asked coldly. Hermione, a bit delirious, didn't quite have the eloquent language she usually spoke.

"You, of course," she said, still smiling. Ron stopped.

"Then why in bloody hell are you going around kissing Draco Malfoy?" he asked flatly. Hermione rolled her eyes, still not picking up on her crush's tone of voice.

"To get you, of course! How else was I supposed to get your attention?" Ron stared at her, until her smile disappeared.

"You actually went to the ball with that, that, bastard, and kissed him, just to get my attention?" he asked. Hermione nodded slowly. Ron was looking extremely tall right about now.

"Do you have any idea how much you've fucked up?" he said. Hermione got a feeling of dread in the middle of her stomach. "If you wanted to go to the Ball with me, Hermione, you should've told me, damnit. I've fancied you for years, you've known it, why didn't you tell me the same?"

Hermione piped up defensively. "How was I supposed to keep up with Ana? You two were always together, she took you from me..."

"Took me from you? Do you have any notion at how ridiculous that sounds, Hermione? I can't believe you! You're supposed to be my friend, you're supposed to be happy for me, and if you weren't, you should have told me! Yes, I do like Ana, but I would have gone to the Ball with you if you had asked! But instead, you go with Malfoy, to make me jealous, so that I dump Ana and come skipping after you? I don't think so," he said, pushing her aside and walking away again. Hermione just stood there, in pain from the shock of rejection. Ron stopped, and turned around.

"Oh, and by the way, I wasn't going to come after you. Ana told me to go. You owe her more of an apology than you'll ever owe me," he said, and left. Hermione sank against the wall, suddenly not strong enough to hold her own weight. A Wallflower, she'd always be, no matter how hard she tried.