Always the Sidekick

Chapter 16

Ron stared at the owl pecking at his window. He'd had such a great week with Hermione. It was almost like Mina knew what she was disturbing. But there was no way she could, was there? He thought maybe if he didn't answer the owl it would just go away. He cuddled in closer to Hermione.

"She won't go away, Ron." Hermione noticed the owl, too. "Just read the note. Maybe it's nothing."

Ron sighed and got out of his bed. He pulled his pajama bottoms on and walked over to the wind owl didn't wait for a response. As soon as Ron pulled the letter off his leg, the owl was gone.

My dear Ron,

I'm sorry I didn't reply to your last letter. I've been busy this summer. But I do miss you and would love to see you again. I'll be waiting for you to respond.

Love Always,
Mina

Ron swallowed. He read the letter three times, hoping each time it would change. It never did. He turned to look at Hermione.

"What does she want?" lling her nightgown on.

"She wants to see me," Ron said, not really even comprehending what it meant.

Hermione stopped messing with her nightgown. She looked questioningly at Ron. "Well?" She used the same familiar tone that Ron would have found amusing if he wasn't so confused now.

"I have to meet her, Hermione. I have to tell her about us." Ron looked directly at her. She had no expression on her face. She was always good at hiding her emotions.

"Okay," she said calmly.

"I'll tell her I want to be with you." Ron turned to his dresser ed out a shirt.

This didn't seem to be the answer Hermione was expecting. Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Of course. What else would I tell her?"

Hermione never got the chance to answer because there was a knock on Ron's door.

"Ron?" Ginny called.

Ron's face went pale. "Uh, yeah, Ginny?" He called back, praying she wouldn't open the door and see Hermione in his bed.

"Have you seen Hermione? She wasn't in her bed this morning when I woke up."

Ron was relieved she wasn't trying to open the door. "Uh, no. I haven't seen her." Ron looked directly at Hermione. She, too, looked terrified.

"Oh, okay." Ginny had an amused tone in her voice. Then he heard her laugh. "Mum has breakfast if you want some. And tell Hermione, too, if you see her." He heard her footsteps descend the stairs and occasional snickers coming from Ginny.

Ron was to meet Mina in the Leaky Cauldron the following day. Hermione had offered several times to accompany him, but he told her he had to do this without her. He took in a deep breath when he saw her white-blonde hair shimmering in the candlelight. He had practiced in his mindlanning on saying. He walked to the table and sat across from her.

She smiled. "How have you been?" she asked sweetly.

"Fine. Listen, Mina, about this summer. I need to tell you..." Ron stopped. Mina reached out her hand and took his. She was still smiling.

"Yes?" she asked. Her thumb was caressing his hand.

"I, um, I missed you," he finished.

She smiled even more and said, "I missed you, too." Then she leaned across the table and kissed him.

Ron Apparated back to the Burrow, dreading seeing Hermione. She wouldn't understand. He couldn't keep seeing her, though. Mina was meeting him again tomorrow at the Burrow. It would be best perhaps if Hermione went to stay with Harry the rest of the summer. Yes, he would ask her to do that.

Hermione was walking toward him as he appeared on the front lawn of the Burrow. "How did she take it?" she asked.

Ron walked past her. "I think you should spend the rest of the summer at Grimmauld Place." He didn't look at her. He didn't see the hurt in her face. He entered the Burrow and walked up to his bedroom.

Mina made a point of meeting Ron almost every day before the start of term. She felt it would make up for the time she hadn't owled. They took walks in Diagon Alley where she could go using Floo powder. One time she even flew to the Burrow but wouldn't go inside. She claimed she wasn't quite ready yet to meet the rest of his family.

Ron couldn't believe how fast time had flown. It was the day before they were to catch the Hogwarts Express in London. There were soft, brown eyes looking at him. Accusatory eyes. Ron didn't like it.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm just wondering why you sent Hermione away," Ginny said softly.

"That's not how she feels. You should talk to her." Ginny put a hand on Ron's shoulder.

He hissed and shook it off. Ginny sighed.

"Don't you think it's odd that you were almost back to your normal self this summer until Mina owled you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ginny. I'm just the same as I was before. And I don't like what you're accusing my girlfriend of."

"I didn't accuse anyone of anything. Just think a bit about it." Ginny stood up and walked to the door. "You should have thought about it before you hurt Hermione." Ron shot her an angry glare, and she left the room.

Ron entered the Hogwarts Express alone and started toward the front of the train. He was now tall enough to see over the tops of every head on there. The sign saying Prefects was in the front this year. He stalked down the corridor. He felt oddly out of place. He realized that since he'd befriended Harry all those years ago, he hadn't felt this way, but now that he wasn't as close to Harry, it all came back to him.

He pushed the door of the compartment open. Sitting next to the window, her face in a book, was Hermione. The shiny gold badge on her chest read Head Girl. How come she hadn't told him she was Head Girl? He started to walk toward her. He wanted to talk to her.

Then a small voice said, "I've found us a compartment to ourselves. I'll be catching up on reading until you are done, all right?" Mina pecked him on the cheek and left. Ron watched her leave and then took a seat as far from Hermione as possible.

"So how was the meeting?" Mina asked as Ron pushed their compartment door closed.

"Nothing new. Hufflepuff Head Boy again. Ernie Macmillan. I guess he's all right." Ron sat next to Mina, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Nah, they just sat quietly. They were surprisingly civil to Hermione." Ron closed his eyes and relaxed as Mina ran her hands through his hair.

The feast in the Great Hall that night was just as grand as ever, with one exception. Each house was supposed to sit at their designated table for this feast, which meant Ron sat alone at the end of the table, his eyes on the shimmering blonde hair. Mina sat alone as usual at the Ravenclaw table. Her eyes would meet his on occasion, and she'd smile.

Dumbledore's absence was noticeable. Not only was it McGonagall who stood in front of the school and welcomed them, but there was now a new Transfiguration teacher. She looked just as strict as McGonagall and about twice as old.

"You're sitting alone this year, Weasley," Nearly Headless Nick said to him. Ron jumped in surprise at his appearance.

"Hello, Nick," he said distantly. Nearly Headless Nick smiled back at him and headed down the table.

When the feast was finally over, he met Mina in the entrance hall. "Can I walk you back?" he asked her.

She seemed a little distracted. "It's a kind thought, really, but I don't think so. You have prefect duties to attend to, anyway, don't you?"

Ron had completely forgotten about that. "Oh, yes, right." He leaned in and kissed Mina quickly on the lips. "Goodnight, then,he said.

She smiled and turned toward the staircase leading down to the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"Good summer, Weasley?" Draco Malfoy drawled behind him.

"Eat dung, Malfoy." Ron turned without as much as a glance at Malfoy and headed up to the Gryffindor common room.

He turned the corner on the seventh floor and saw Hermione standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was talking intently to Luna Lovegood. Ron was about to make himself known until he heard Mina's name.

"What do you mean she didn't spend the summer at your house?" Hermione asked.

"She didn't. Not that I minded at all. It was a rather peaceful summer."

"Luna," Hermione said firmly, so as not to encourage Luna to space out. "This is important. When did she leave your house?"

"Well, she was there for the first week. Then she asked Father if she could go somewhere." Luna still had the spaced out look, but at least this was useful information.

"Where?" Hermione asked urgently.

"She wouldn't say. Just that it was in Manchester. I don't know anyone who lives in Manchester. Visited there once; it was very dull."

"Good holiday?" Harry asked casually. If Ron felt more about it, he would be sad their friendship had gone, but he just didn't seem to care.

"Fine," Ron said back, beginning to unpack his trunk. The next moment Harry was in his face.

"Hermione is like my sister. I care a lot about her. Don't go near her again because if you hurt her anymore, like you did this summer, I'll curse you to next week." The shock of his best friend threatening him would have had more of an impact, if he weren't so angered by it.

Harry climbed into his four-poster and pulled the curtains shut.

The rest of the week, Harry avoided him, and Hermione would examine him from far across a room, as if she were trying to see inside his head.

Mina's hand roamed the length of Ron's back then stopped just short of his waist. Her mouth roamed down his neck then back to his mouth. When her hand finally started to move lower, Ron stopped her.

This was all too familiar to him. It kept reminding him of Hermione. He knew he could never feel what he felt with Hermione with Mina.

"What's the mattdquo; she asked, looking into his eyes.

Ron looked around the dark broom cupboard they'd found. This was not a place he'd ever thought he'd be having an intimate moment. "I think we're moving a bit fast," Ron said.

Mina looked confused. "What?" she asked. How many seventeen-year-old boys would say that?

"It's been months since we were together, Mina...shouldn't we, you know, talk or something?" Ron fidgeted with her robes.

Mina got a mischievous look on her face. She moved in and put her hand on Ron's chest. Then she kissed him again. "Okay," she said, pressing her lips to his neck. "Let's talk."

Her kisses were too much for Ron. He took her mouth and pressed his to it. Then he moved her down on the floor. They could talk later.