Wizards Are From Mars, Witches Are From Venus

Wizards are From Mars, Witches are From Venus:

The Sequel to Head Over Feet...

By DarkSorceress226

***

"So, what are you going to wear?"

Hermione looked up from Hogwarts: Another History of Even More Things You Didn´t Know and stared at Ginny.

"I don´t know," she answered. "Hadn´t really thought about it."

Ginny blinked in obvious disbelief, "What? The ball is this Saturday!"

"So?" Hermione responded equably. "Today´s Wednesday. That gives me three more days." She then went back to the thick tome in her lap.

With an amazed shake of her head, Ginny rose silently, strode over to Hermione´s armchair, and flipped the book shut.

"Do you love my brother or not?" she asked, arms folded.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the other girl, "Well, what do you think?"

Despite her frustration with her friend, Ginny had to smile.

"Sorry, stupid question. But let´s be serious here. You don´t want to have to run out and get something at the last minute. You want to be able to take the time to pick out something that´ll really get Ron´s attention."

Hermione sighed, "Well, you´re right...but I´ve never really been one for dress-shopping..."

Ginny grinned thoughtfully, "Want to go with me tonight? I´ll help you pick something out."

Hermione nodded, a smile beginning to form on her lips.

"Let´s get something good."

***

"Let´s get something good," Harry told Ron, as he rifled through another rack of dress robes. "Something that´ll really get her attention. How about..."

"Harry," Ron interrupted. "I told you, I can´t get anything too fancy, I´ve only got - "

"And I told you, you´re going to let me give you a loan." Harry didn´t glance up, but he knew from years of being Ron´s friend exactly what the expression on his face would be.

"A loan," repeated Ron. "Harry, I told you, I´d really rather you didn´t..."

"Too bad for you. Why don´t you just consider it an early Christmas present, if it bothers you so much?"

"Well...It´s just that...Er...You´re going to let me pay you back. And I´m not even happy about you doing it in the first place."

"Ron," said Harry finally, as his best friend fought to make up his mind. "Shush."

Ron obeyed, albeit unhappily.

"Here, what about this one?" Here, Harry held up a long, flowing cloak, dark gray with a lion clasp at the throat. "Want to try it on?"

Ron cocked his head. "How much is it?"

***

"Six Galleons, twelve Sickles," Ginny told Hermione. "You´re going to try it on, right?"

"Of course," answered Hermione, with a roll of her eyes.

The two girls made their way back into the fitting room area of the dress shop, engaging in idle chatter as they went.

"You know, I still can´t get over the fact that he asked me to go with him," mused Hermione as she locked the stall door behind her. "The whole time I´ve known him, it never once crossed my mind that maybe he liked me. And now...I look at him in such a different way..." There was a pause, and the rustling of fabric.

"That´s a good different, right?"

"Ginny," came Hermione´s voice. Then there was a click, and the door swung open a few moments later to reveal Hermione standing with her hands on her hips.

"I am wearing an incredibly fancy dress robe. Could that really mean `bad´ different?"

Ginny giggled. "Wait `til he sees you!" She shook her head. "Just wait."

***

"Wait `til she sees you," mused Harry, grinning at Ron. "She won´t be able to resist you."

Ron paraded about in front of the mirror, looking this way and that at his reflection.

"I really don´t look too bad, do I?" he responded, seductively raising an eyebrow at the mirror and puffing out his chest. Then the air was expelled in a long sigh. "Harry, you don´t know how glad I am that I asked her. It´s such a relief to know I wasn´t going crazy all those times I thought she was trying to tell me something - I was so afraid I was imagining things...Or that all this time, she´s had her heart set on Viktor Krum. And now...she´s telling me she´d never even consider going with anyone but me..."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I just knew she liked you, it was so obvious - "

Ron turned abruptly. "You knew? And you didn´t tell me, all that time?"

Harry stared at his best friend over the rims of his glasses. "I only mentioned it about several thousand times...and every one of those times, all I got was a `No, she couldn´t like me, she just couldn´t.´"

Ron blinked, "Ohhh...yeah. I remember now. Okay. Thanks for reminding me."

Harry snorted, "Let´s get you out of here."

***

"Yeah, I guess we should probably get going," Hermione answered from inside the fitting room.

Ginny glanced at her watch and tapped her foot. She´d only repeated that five times now.

There was a moment of silence before Ginny asked, "Are you coming out now?"

There was a muffled thud, followed by a muttered "Bloody things," before the door opened again and Hermione brandished a pair of high heels at Ginny. "Definitely don´t want the shoes. Too big. But I think I´m getting the dark red one."

Ginny smirked, "Oh, boy. You think? That means you´re not sure."

Hermione sniffed and started toward the front desk, muttering, "I didn´t take that long, she doesn´t know what she´s talking about."

All Ginny could do was follow and giggle. As the woman at the register sorted through the coins Hermione had handed her, the two girls continued their previous conversation.

"So now that I know he likes me, and he knows I like him, I´m beginning to hope it´s not going to be too awkward at the ball."

Ginny nodded. "Well, I really don´t think you have any cause to worry - Ron´s probably just as nervous as you are, if not more so. You know how men act. They´re weird."

Hermione bit her lip. "And what if there´s mistletoe?"

"Then you let him kiss you, provided you want him to, and I´m sure you do. Am I right? It´s not really something you can prepare for ahead of time. I know you´re smart, much smarter than me, but you can´t really worry about what you don´t know."

Hermione sighed, the thoughts reeling through her mind. "But you´re the one who´s had more experience with that sort of thing. And I trust your opinion."

Ginny nodded, understanding her anxiety, but knowing that she really had nothing to worry about, if all of Ron´s ranting and raving had been worth listening to at all. "You´ll know if it´s the right moment when it comes. But until then, you´ll just have to see how it goes."

***

"Just have to see how it goes," echoed Ron, as Harry fished out some money from his rucksack. "Well, you´ve got a point there, no use in trying to plan it all out ahead of time."

"Yeah, trust me, the best laid plans usually never come to pass. Besides, you know how women act," added Harry. "She´s probably a little nervous, too. Just...be yourself, as corny as that sounds - girls love it when they can talk to a guy who´s comfortable listening to them."

Ron cocked his head. "Who told you that?"

"Ginny. And besides, it´s common sense. Think about it."

"And if there´s mistletoe?"

"Then you kiss her. Plain and simple. I´m positive she won´t mind."

Ron´s forehead furrowed in thought. "Well, yeah, but, on the cheek?"

Harry threw his hands up in desperation. "You´re my best friend, Ron, but you´re a big boy now, I´m sure you´ll be able to decide that for yourself when the moment arrives. Don´t be nervous! This is Hermione we´re talking about! She won´t be scrutinizing your every move to make sure you´re the perfect date. She loves you as much as you love her. Just try to have fun. Go with your heart."

"All right, but...no more cliches, okay?"

"Ron, my friend, we have a deal."

***

Ginny smiled at Hermione. "Dear, you look simply beautiful," she told her. "As sorry I am that Ron is your date..." Here she had to pause as Hermione whacked her playfully with her handbag. "Okay, okay, I just wanted to say that I think you´re lucky to have each other. He really does love you, you know."

Hermione smiled nervously, "I suppose."

"Good evening, ladies," came a voice from the top of the boys´ staircase. Harry descended first, followed by a fidgety-looking Ron. But, Hermione noticed, he looked really good. He had new dress robes.

"Same to you, gents," answered Ginny, linking her arm through Harry´s. Ron was left to slip his arm about Hermione´s shoulders, which he did with a bit of confidence, Harry´s advice in mind.

"And you look lovely tonight," he said to her softly. "Let´s go, shall we?"

The two couples made their way down to the Great Hall in companionable silence, but each person occasionally stole a heartfelt glance at their significant other. Once at the entrance, Harry followed Ginny over to the rest of the fourth year girls at the punch table with a wink at his best friend, while Ron paused to stare upwards at the tiny plant floating above his and Hermione´s heads.

No prologue was needed. Ron leaned over to carefully place his lips on Hermione´s. Harry and Ginny had each been correct - it felt very right. But nothing either of them could have said about what one´s first real kiss felt like could ever have come close to the love Ron and Hermione each experienced at that moment of impact.

Onlookers raised their eyebrows as Ron´s hands wound through Hermione´s hair, and as she stroked his face so tenderly that immediately everyone wanted to be just like that couple under the mistletoe, who were now kissing passionately without a care in the world.

"They sure look happy," Harry murmured to Ginny, as they watched from their vantagepoint at the refreshment table.

Ginny nodded. "They´ll be fine now - I don´t think they´ll need any more of our help."

Finally Ron and Hermione parted, each with their face aglow in the dusky candlelight. Their hands found each other, and before long, the new couple was seated at a small table, engaged in a discussion that only they could hear. But it was obvious from the expressions on their faces what the exchanged phrases were - as if the tightly laced fingers weren´t clue enough.

"All in the game of love, I guess," smiled Ginny, as Harry shook his head in wonder.

"What?" asked Ginny, curious.

"Oh, nothing," answered Harry. "It´s just that I always thought Ron liked to avoid cliches. But these two seem to be `happily ever after.´"

"Until their next row," giggled Ginny.

"Oh, hush, you. Don´t ruin the moment."

~*FIN

*~