Get Over Yourselves!

"For the last time, Ron," Hermione exclaimed, clearly exasperated, "the spell is Minisculus! Emphasis on the nis!"

"Sorry, it's difficult to concentrate when certain bossy know-it-alls are screaming at me!" Ron retorted.

"Here we go again!" Harry said, sighing and getting ready to play mediator.

"Well excuse me, but this bossy know-it-all is concerned about how this inept slacker is going to do on his exams!" Hermione yelled back. The people filling the Gryffindor Common Room were suddenly very silent, staring at the scene that was unfolding in front of the fire.

"Oh, inept slacker am I?" Ron yelled indignantly. "Well, take this for inept!" Ron shot a spell at Hermione which did nothing but make her hair stand on end.

"Oh, now we're playing with spells, are we?" Hermione shot back, giving her wand a complicated twist. Immediately, steam started pouring out of Ron's ears and his hair turned cherry red.

Harry was slightly shocked. This was the first time they had used spells on each other while fighting. He knew, or at least he hoped, that they wouldn't do any real damage to each other. And he knew, or at least he hoped, that the reason they fought so much was that they liked each other, so that would keep them from hurting each other. At least he really hoped so.

People had started snickering, and many girls were exchanging glances and giggling. Some boys were also exchanging glances, as though they all knew the real reason for these constant fights. Most of the people present had witnessed ten fights between Ron and Hermione over the past week, all following the mention of Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, or at the slightest signs of interest in members of the opposite sex. Most of the people present were also very annoyed at the fact that Ron and Hermione were clearly obsessed with each other but refused to admit it.

"Hermione, what'd you do!?" Ron demanded.

"Help you express your anger at this bossy know-it-all," Hermione replied coolly, waving her wand and making the steam cease and Ron's hair return to normal.

"Are you two quite through?" Harry asked calmly from his chair. People had stopped staring and had returned to whatever they were doing, but most girls were still whispering and giggling, shooting the furious pair glances. "Apologize!"

"What!?" Ron exclaimed.

"Excuse me!?" Hermione spluttered.

"You're never going to get over yourselves unless you apologize," Harry replied in a patient tone. "So apologize now!"

Ron and Hermione were still staring at Harry with completely incredulous looks on their faces. Harry glared at them and they reluctantly turned to face each other again.

"I'm sorry I called you a bossy know-it-all," Ron mumbled to the rug at Hermione's feet.

"I'm sorry I called you an inept slacker," Hermione replied quietly.

"Good," Harry said, nodding his approval. "Now kiss and make up."

"What!?" Ron and Hermione exclaimed, just a little too quickly, glancing shiftily at each other.

"Just kidding!" Harry said, laughing at the expressions on Ron and Hermione's faces.

*****

The next day, Ron and Hermione were once again at each other's throats, this time concerning Viktor Krum. They were standing three feet apart, outside in the newly-fallen snow, and Harry was standing back watching them with an almost bored expression on his face. He was really starting to get tired of their constant fighting.

As the fight got louder and louder, Dean and Seamus came up to Harry, shouting a glance at the battling pair.

"At it again?" Dean asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Harry replied.

"They have no idea how many people have made a profit off of them," Seamus remarked as the three of them watched as Hermione blasted a clean path through the snow towards the Forbidden Forest in her rage.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Oh, there have been countless bets made on them," Seamus replied airily. "The whole house knows about them. Even the first years have been betting on how many fights it'll take before they just give it up and start snogging."

"Yeas, well I wish they'd hurry up and get on with it," Harry said tiredly. "I've spent five and a half years watching them go at it, and I'm sick of being the one caught in the middle."

"HARRY!!" Suddenly, Ron and Hermione had both turned to Harry, obviously wanting his input on who was in the right this time.

"Good luck," Dean and Seamus said, walking away. Harry sighed, then braced himself as he walked up to Ron and Hermione. He looked them over quickly. They appeared to be perfectly fine, so they hadn't resorted to cursing each other, which meant he could probably handle this argument.

"Yes," Harry said, sighing.

The two of them immediately launched into furious explanations.

"Ron's saying that--"

"She's so obsessed with Vicky--"

"He can't get over the fact--"

"She won't admit that--"

"Stop! Stop! STOP!" Harry yelled, silencing them. "I do not want to hear another word from either of you until you learn to get over yourselves. Everyone knows that the only reason you two are at it every single day is because you are completely in love with each other." At this remark, Ron and Hermione opened their mouths, ready to reply indignantly, but Harry silenced them. "I dunno why you can't just admit it, but until you do, I don't want to hear it!" And at this he walked away.

*****

For a minute or so, Ron and Hermione simply stared at Harry's receding figure, completely dumbstruck. Then, they slowly turned to look at each other.

"He's crazy," Ron said with would-be certainty.

"Yeah, absolutely insane," Hermione agreed, giving a nervous little laugh.

Both of them stared shiftily at the ground between them. Hermione rubbed the back of her right ankle with her opposite foot, and Ron toyed with a loose thread on his cloak. Both of them were dying to say that Harry was right, but neither had the guts to do it. Hermione, certain that Ron would still be staring shiftily at the ground, looked up to find that Ron was looking up too, probably assuming the same thing as Hermione. They quickly shifted their gaze to the ground again, but slowly looked up. Their eyes finally met.

"Er, Hermione..." Ron began uncertainly. Somehow he was struck with sudden bravery. That and he wanted to be on talking terms with Harry again. "Maybe he's not all that crazy..."

Hermione's heart leaped. Could that really mean what she hoped it meant?

"No, not at all." She smiled shyly.

In a second that contained eternity, they drew closer. Finally, their lips met. Ron wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her closer, and the kiss deepened. Eventually, they heard applause and were brought abruptly back down to Earth. They looked around, arms still around each other, and found that Harry was standing there grinning with what appeared to be the whole Gryffindor house, plus some other people, standing behind him. All were smiling, or laughing, or grinning, and all were clapping.

"See, I knew you'd get over yourselves in time," Harry said, his eyes dancing.