Another Not-So-Horrible Prefect Duty

"On to the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor," Ron muttered darkly as he exited Gryffindor Tower, Hermione several feet in front of him.

She sighed aggravatedly. "Can't you ever get it right, Ron? We're in the Transfiguration corridor this year."

"No, we're not."

"Yes, we are."

"You're wrong, Hermione. Didn't you check the board? It was changed. We are patrolling the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor," Ron retorted defiantly.

She eyed him skeptically. Suspicious, she turned back into Gryffindor Tower. She briskly marched towards the board, and with a panic, noticed that he was right. Her heart jumped nervously.

This was going to be a nightmare.

"You are right, Ron," Hermione whispered anxiously as they headed down the corridor.

"I can't believe I checked the board and you didn't. That has to be some sort of record hasn't it?" He asked bemusedly. "Why are you so nervous? So you were wrong, big deal," Ron said roughly.

She ignored him. "On to the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor."

"Wonderful," Ron said sarcastically as he and Hermione walked down the hall.

Hermione cast him a reproachful expression.

"What? Don't tell me you enjoy this? Getting deprived of your sleep and wasting our time we could be spending," he paused, racking his brain, trying to find something that Hermione might rather do, "studying?"

She sighed in agreement. "Or I could be knitting more clothes for the house elves. I learned how to make sweaters this summer!" Hermione exclaimed proudly.

"You have only told me twelve times," Ron retorted, rolling his eyes.

The pair patrolled in silence for a while, as Hermione was in a bit of a huff.

"Hermione, have you noticed Harry and Ginny acting rather odd recently?" Ron inquired innocently.

She glared at him. But, she sighed and remarked, "Odd?" Her tone was rather cold and curt.

Ignoring this, Ron continued. "Yea, they're a lot more friendly and cheerful. Hell, he's more cheerful around her than he is around us."

Hermione nodded accordingly.

"He's smiling, that's what's important isn't it?" Hermione moved away from the subject. She knew the answer of course, it was unbelievably obvious. But to Ron, the obvious wasn't always, well, obvious. And in this case, his cluelessness was much appreciated. Especially by Harry and Ginny.

Ron eyed her incredulously.

Her heart jumped again, but for different reasons.

Both of them were unusually quiet. The only sound that was heard was their footsteps, echoing through the halls.

Ron and Hermione hadn't encountered anyone yet, but the night was young.

After what seemed like hours, the prefects reach the DADA teacher's office.

"What do you think of this new guy?" Ron mentioned tentatively.

"He seems all right, we should learn quite a bit this year. Not enough to make up for last year though." Her voice tapered toward the end.

The subject of fifth year was a very fragile one, rarely discussed, especially among Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny. As they solemnly passed the horrible office, intense and painful memories came flooding back, completely unstoppable.

Sneaking into Umbridge's office, being pinned down by the Slytherins, giving in to Umbridge, learning of Sirius' absence...

"I hope that this year is better," Ron wished quietly, as he recollected.

"Me too," Hermione responded, as she shifted uncomfortably.

They gazed for several moments upon the wretched door.

A minute of silence.

For Sirius.

"It's still so hard to believe," Hermione proclaimed, as they continued down the haunted hall gloomily.

"About--"

"Uh huh," Hermione interrupted. She knew what he was going to say.

Ron and Hermione both fell silent again.

Several minutes later, Ron shivered what looked like an involuntary motion. Hermione watched him nervously.

"Are you okay, Ron?" Hermione asked concernedly.

"Fine," he grumbled absentmindedly.

"No you're not. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Hermione," Ron said through gritted teeth.

"Don't give me--"

"What do you think is wrong?" Ron shot back defensively. Hermione was slightly taken aback.

She opened her mouth to apologize, rather then a fiery retort, as she normally would have.

"No, my fault. Sorry," Ron atoned quickly. "I just keep thinking that--"

He paused and glanced at Hermione nervously. She could be very persuasive at times, he knew he wouldn't win.

"What is it?" she asked gently, her eyes sparkling worriedly.

"In the three of us, you are the brilliant one, the responsible one, the one that always keeps me and Harry in line--"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hermione broke in.

"Let me finish," he said shortly.

"You are like Lupin. Sirius," he hesitated again, "always said that you and him were so much alike like that. Harry is, of course, like his dad James. They're both incredible at Quidditch, loathe Snape, and look identical. Which leaves me as--"

"Sirius," Hermione finished comprehensively. "Ron--"

"What, Hermione?" Ron snapped tensely. She recoiled, teary-eyed. He saw emotional she was getting, and his stomach felt cold with guilt. But he didn't pull back.

"Ron," she said sincerely, "Yes. You-you are like Sirius in so many ways. Eternally loyal and protective, almost to a fault, our comic relief whenever we need it, incredibly good looks--" Whoa, she thought frantically, That DID NOT just come out of my mouth...pretend like NOTHING happened, "and the best friend that Harry or I had ever had--" She casually wiped away a tear.

Ron, utterly thrown off about the comment concerning his looks, was goggling at her.

"--both of you are slightly reckless, but the only problem is your stubbornness."

"I'm not stubborn!" Ron barked angrily.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"See? There you go again! You need to put a stop to all of this and GROW UP unless you want to die prematurely too!" Hermione cried shrilly.

He gaped at her like a goldfish, mouth moving soundlessly.

She took advantage of his silence to add, "Haven't you seen over the past few months what it does to everyone?"

Her hysteria and passion was nonetheless effective. Ron was hit hard by her statements, but how she shown them said so much more.

Ron was clueless, no doubt about it. He was blind to his best mate and his sister's mutual infatuation, and to her care and devotion to him. But, there was one thing he wasn't blind about...

His love for her.

Do it now, Ron. Do it now, before it is too late. Tell her...

He gathered his hereditary courage and looked her straight in the eye. He softened his voice. "Hermione, I--I"

A gasp echoed from somewhere behind him. Someone else shushed her immediately. Ron and Hermione's eye contact broke as they tore off down the hall.

Ron was partly frustrated, partly relieved by this postponement, but he followed her closely.

"Who's there?" Hermione asked bossily.

She had been thoroughly distracted from her previous worries by Ron's comparisons. Hermione's mind was on Ron at that moment, and a tiny portion was devoted to capturing whoever was out too late, roaming the halls daringly.

Whoever it was, knew they were trapped but tried to escape anyway. They ran in to a broom closet, but since it was so dark, the prefects still couldn't see who it was.

Slowly, Ron and Hermione closed in on the occupants of the closet. They tip-toed cautiously, prepared to swing open the door.

Ron was particularly angered, which Hermione noticed instantaneously. This was very unusual for him, if you take in to account the fact that he had always been rather unenthusiastic about prefect duties and since he occasionally broke the rules himself.

Just as Ron had his hand on the door knob, something clicked in Hermione's brain.

"Ron!" She plastered herself to the door, and crossed her arms.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked her, so shocked that he seemed concerned for her sanity.

"I--I uh," Hermione stammered. She racked her brain desperately for an excuse. "Now, let's think about this logically--"

"Logically! They're running around past hours, they deserve detentions! Or a good hex," Ron muttered as he whipped out his wand sinisterly.

"What has gotten in to you, Ron? Why do you care who is in here? What's the big deal? Since when have you appreciated rules?" she pointed out cleverly.

He eyed her suspiciously. She never acted like this. Never. He wasn't that clueless.

Something fishy was going on...

"You know who's in there, don't you, Hermione?" Ron asked slyly. "I know you know."

"Ron, that's ridiculous! How could I know who is--"

He took a step toward her. Their faces were less than an inch apart. Hermione was pleasantly shocked, but overwhelmingly uneasy. He kind of scared her, too. He was radiating this sense of power she had never seen before.

She was in trouble. But right now, being this close, she was absolutely fine.

"Hermione..."

"Yea," she whispered weakly as she slipped away from the door. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes...

"GINNY!"

His shout reverberated around the corridor.

Hermione peaked through her fingers, that were covering her eyes.

Harry and Ginny were crouched on the floor of the broom closet. Ron was standing practically over them, his hands on his hips and his face tomato-red.

Ginny giggled nervously. Harry, on the other hand, cautiously stood up.

"So, Ron," Harry said, forcing himself to keep a straight face.

"HARRY!"

"Thanks for the warning, Hermione," Ginny said sarcastically.

"HERMIONE!"

He turned to face her, and she looked him straight in the eye.

He stared at her for a moment, in which he seemed to deflate minimally. She stared back, expectantly.

"Um..." he began.

"Back to the common room, you two," Hermione ordered, still waiting for Ron to speak.

"What?" they both exclaimed angrily.

"NOW!" she commanded, her hands on her hips, eyes still on Ron.

Harry and Ginny exchanged conspiratory looks, and simultaneously spun around and headed in the opposite direction. Slowly but surely.

Hermione waited until she was sure they had turned the corner, and said to Ron, "What were you going to say?"

Her tone was soft and anticipative.

This encouraged him.

Say it, you fool.

"I--I, um," he stuttered, and his ears transformed into a different red hue.

A nervous smile crept on to his face, too late for him to stop it.

She smiled in return.

Hermione knew what he was going to say, if truth be told. So, she helped him out with his struggle.

Hermione reached for his hand, and interlocked his fingers with hers comfortingly.

He was pleasantly surprised by this gesture, but it didn't bother him in the least.

"Don't worry about it," Hermione soothed gently.

"About what?"

Hermione stood on her tip-toes, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Fine by me," he responded, though it took him a while to regain vocal abilities.

They continued their patrol, hand in hand.

Ginny and Harry watched from behind a statue, in delight.

Everything was going to be all right.