This Dance We Do

Chapter 19: Arrivals and Departures.

Hermione stared at Ron incredulously.

"Didn't you even hear a single word I just said? Don't you think Harry will realize something's going on if we go to the Winter Ball together?"

"Well, not necessarily. I mean, we both are going, aren't we? And look what I went through to get a partner last time. Besides, the Ball isn't until December, so that will be enough time for Harry to get out of his rut, won't it?" Hermione did not look convinced, so Ron ploughed on. "What I mean is, we could just go with what we suggested when we realized we didn't have dates. Harry can go with Ginny and I can go with you. I could just say that I want to avoid asking any beautiful girls to the dance and embarrassing myself like last time, so I asked you. And...what?"

Hermione looked as though Ron had struck her. Her mouth was hanging slightly open and her bottom lip was trembling, an action Ron felt was altogether too enticing to resist, though something in the way she was looking at him held him back. She closed her mouth, drew a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"I see. Well, yes, that would make sense, wouldn't it. I wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself by asking someone beautiful to the Ball, like Fleur, or Pavarti. Of course, we all know you would never ask a troll, you've made your opinions on that matter plain. So, just ask the least attractive girl that you're not embarrassed to be seen with and I'm sure everyone will buy it."

She was not looking at him, but was very focused on the door jam. Ron stared at her in puzzlement, wondering why her eyes were beginning to well up with tears, when it hit him. He had to restrain himself from knocking his palm off his forehead.

"No! Hermione--I didn't mean--what I was trying to say was--" Great, how was he going to get himself out of this one? "Look, I wasn't saying that you aren't beautiful, I think you're very beautiful, you just don't have any of that Veela charm that makes me do stupid things, though I do my share of stupid things in your presence." She still was not looking at him. "Look," Ron moved to her, took her face in his hands, and turned her face to his. "I think you are very attractive, and I'm sure I could prove it to you, but that would probably disgust you and embarrass us both."

Hermione looked at him, obviously trying to work out what he had just said. Suddenly, realization spread across her face and her eyes got slightly wider as they dropped down, seeking confirmation.

Ron's ears burned as he stepped away from her, crossing his legs slightly.

"Not now! Merlin, what do you take me for?"

"Well," Hermione's face burned magenta. "You are a teenage boy, so..."

Ron sat and fully crossed his legs.

"Yeah, well, it's not a constant ailment. I do have some control, you know."

Not much, a little voice sang in his head. He pushed it aside.

"Okay, I'm sorry. You just said...so I only thought..."

The room grew uncomfortably quiet. Hermione had picked up the cleaning rag that Ron discarded earlier and began fidgeting with it while Ron picked at a spot on the chair he was sitting in. They both jumped when someone cleared their throat.

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" Ron's sister asked from the doorway.

Hermione dashed to the door and hugged Ginny, an action Ron thought was extremely odd.

"So, I see Doc and Dopey, where's Grumpy?"

Ron exchanged a look with Hermione; it was clear she had no idea what Ginny was on about either. Ginny laughed at their apparent confusion.

"It's from a film a saw when I was visiting Dean earlier this summer. Never mind. Where's Harry?"

"He's in his room resting."

Ron did not bother to try to disguise the snort that escaped him.

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You don't honestly believe that. He's resting now as much as he was when he wouldn't come out of the room at your house."

"Well, in either event, he doesn't need to be disturbed right now. What we need to do is--Ginny, where are you going?"

Ron's sister had turned around and was climbing the stairs that would lead to his and Harry's room. Hermione went after her, followed by Ron.

Oh well, might as well be of some use.

When Ron reached his room, Hermione was standing in the doorway and his sister was standing over Harry, trying to get him out of bed.

"Come on, Harry. You can't stay in bed forever. What happened isn't your fault. You didn't ask You-Know-Who to have this insane obsession with trying to kill you, and you didn't ask us to be your friends, but you've got it, all of it, like it or lump it."

Harry gave a loud, fake snore, but otherwise ignored Ginny. Ron stifled a laugh; his sister would not give up that easily.

"Listen, Harry. We can do this one of three ways. You can stop feigning sleep now and get out of bed and talk to us on your own, I can stand here and pester you until you get out of bed simply to get away from me, or I can drag you out of this room myself. Your choice."

Harry snored again, not a very smart move on his part, in Ron's opinion.

"Could you two give us a minute, please," Ginny asked Ron and Hermione. Although Ron would have preferred to stay and see the show, Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him from the room, shutting the door behind them on the way out. She did not stop until she had put a floor between them and Harry and Ginny.

"What did you do that for?" Ron asked after Hermione closed the drawing room door.

"What?"

"You took off so fast, you're acting like you didn't even want to hear what she was going to say."

"Well, I don't. She asked us to leave, so whatever she has to say is none of our business. You don't like it when she sticks around and listens to our conversations."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Well, it's none of her business what we say to each other."

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I will never understand your logic, Ronald."

Ron kicked at the leg of a desk. He was not sure what to do with the silence that had fallen over the room.

"So." Kick. "You never answered my question." Kick.

"What question?"

"About the Ball." Kick. "You know, you and me...going to the Ball...together...."

"Oh, I guess I didn't."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are you going to answer me?"

"Eventually."

Ron looked at Hermione, but she simply smiled sweetly back. Rolling his eyes, Ron dug out a chess set from the desk whose leg he was kicking.

"Would you like to play?" he asked Hermione. "Or are you not answering any of my questions?"

Hermione simply smiled again and began setting up her side of the board.

They played three games, of which Hermione almost won one, before Mrs. Weasley came into the room.

"Oh, there you two are. We about gave up the search. Dinner's ready, so why don't you two wash up then come downstairs?"

Ron put the chess set away and went to wash up for dinner, as his mother had asked. He was about to start down the stairs to the kitchen when Hermione reached out a hand to stop him.

"Ron? I'd love to."

Ron looked at her, confused.

"Love to what?"

"I would love to go to the Winter Ball with you."

"Oh. Oh! Really? Great!"

Hermione laughed softly.

"I don't think Ginny will go with Harry, though."

"Why not?"

"Well, she's bound to be going with Dean, as they're together."

"Oh." Ron had forgotten about that.

He did not let the fact that his sister had a boyfriend that he did not exactly approve of dampen his good mood, however. He sat through dinner, smiling cheerfully at everyone, including the slightly harassed looking Harry.

Ron was never sure of what his sister said to Harry that day in their bedroom, but whatever it was worked. For the rest of their stay at Grimmauld Place, Harry stayed out of their bedroom except for when he was actually sleeping. He did not even mope around the house, although there really was not time to.

Ron never realized how much cleaning went into keeping a house presentable. Every day there was something that needed to be dusted, or washed, or swept, or mopped. The only day they did not have to do any cleaning was the day before Hermione's parents were to return to their house. Although Mr. Granger was not pleased that there would be Order members watching his house around the clock, Mrs. Granger was so happy to be returning home that his complaints were minimal. As soon as they were gone, however, it went right back to cleaning round the clock again.

Finally, after what seemed both like an eternity and a blink of the eye, the day they were to return to Hogwarts had arrived.

Grimmauld Place was a mad house the morning of September first. Although she only had four children to get on the train this year, Mrs. Weasley looked especially worn.

"Are your trunks all packed? Ron, dear, do you have Pig? Good, good. All right, everyone in the fan."

They all clambered into the fan, a long sort of car, that Mundungus had 'borrowed' from a friend of his.

The trip to King's Cross was an interesting one, at best. Crookshanks somehow got out of his carrier and attacked Mundungus, almost sending him into a building. It took several minutes for Hermione to coax her cat back into his wicker basket and for them to get back on the road. When they finally got to the station, Moody arranged them into groups when Dung went to get trolleys for their trunks.

"Okay, Tonks, Lupin, Jones, Molly, you're taking Granger and Weasley. Shacklebolt, Arthur, Dung, and I will take the other Weasley and Potter. The rest of you will circle around and watch for any suspicious behavior, all right?"

They loaded all their trunks on the trolleys and set off. Ron and Hermione's group went through to platform nine and three quarters first. Ron looked up at the scarlet steam engine and felt the familiar ping in his stomach: The Hogwarts Express.