Will They or Won't They

Ask anyone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who the best, most dedicated student is, and they'll all tell you, from students and professors to ghosts and paintings, without hesitation, Hermione Granger. She knew all the answers in class, and usually had her homework done well ahead of time. Most often, she could be found in the library, deeply immersed in her studies, or doing some research on her own, "just for fun". Today was no exception, Hermione had set herself up at a corner table, her books spread out in front of her. She twirled her quill in her hand, deep in thought.

Now, if anyone had been paying close attention, they would have noticed that all the books were on the same page the were when Hermione had opened them The books had been laying there, untouched, for the past two hours. Come on, focus, she chided herself. There was the essay for Potions that needed to be done, and after she had written hers, no doubt she would need to help Harry and Ron with their essays.

Hermione allowed a small smile and shook her head slightly at the thought of her two best friends. The three of them had been inseparable since the troll incident first year. Actually, she realised, their adventures had started even before the troll, with Malfoy's set-up, and then the run-in with Fluffy. Not forgetting of course, she and Ron and their constant bickering and frequent arguments. One would never know, to see them like that, that the two of them were so close. Poor Harry usually got stuck in the middle, playing mediator.

Lately, most of their fights had been centred around Hermione's continued friendship with Viktor Krum. She rolled her eyes at the mental image of Ron's face every time the subject came up. Honestly, she thought, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was jealous!

Over in the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Harry were finding any excuse not to study. Ron was filling in Harry on the details of Fred and George's new joke shop, when Seamus Finnigan burst in, a wide grin on his face.

"They won!" he crowed, his Irish accent thicker than usual. "The Kestrals beat the Cannons! 180-60!"

Ron was up in arms in an instant. The Chudley Cannons was his favourite Quidditch team. "That was just a fluke! Crane must've been having an off day or something. Letting Flanagan get the snitch before him," he muttered angrily.

The two were so caught up in their argument, and Harry was concentrating extremely hard on tuning them out (he had had plenty of experience in that department, with Ron and Hermione) that none of the three noticed a very disappointed Lavender Brown enter the room. She was accompanied by Parvati Patil, who was attempting to comfort her friend.

"Of all the rotten luck!" Lavender complained, glancing at Seamus. "I'd been hinting about the Ball for weeks, and I think he was finally about to ask me! Then that bloody owl flew in. Gerald just had to send word right away, he couldn't have waited half an hour?" Lavender let out a dramatic sigh. "Bloody Quidditch," she finished with a glare at the boys.

The portrait hole swung open again, and Neville Longbottom crawled through, followed by Ginny Weasley. Harry glanced up and smiled. "Hullo, Neville. You just come from extra Herbology?"

Neville nodded. "Wish I could take a third Herbology instead of Potions." He shuddered.

Harry nodded in agreement. Professor Snape, the Potions Master, was their least favourite teacher. The feeling was mutual; Gryffindors were Snape's least favourite students. Harry grinned at Ginny, who had curled up in an overstuffed armchair next to the sofa where Harry sat. "All right, Ginny?

She grinned back and nodded, then noticed the girls. "All right, Lavender?" Even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"No!" Lavender blurted out. "The Sweetheart Ball's in three weeks. Three weeks! I almost had a date." She shot a death glare at Seamus. Ginny caught Harry's eye and rolled her eyes, grinning. Sometimes Lavender could be quite overdramatic.

Seamus and Ron, in all the activity, had dropped their argument. Seamus glanced at Lavender, then shrugged, wide-eyed, at Ron. Ron shrugged back. "Don't worry about it, mate. Girls are really odd." He smiled at Ginny. "Sisters included." Ginny stuck her tongue out at her brother. Ron continued as if he hadn't noticed. "Hermione gets upset at me for every little thing."

Parvati looked curiously at Ron. "Did you ever notice," she said to Lavender and whomever else was listening, "that every other sentence out of Ron's mouth seems to centre around Hermione?"

Lavender nodded, her crisis momentarily forgotten. "He's mad for her."

The comment did not go unnoticed by Ron. "What?!" he exclaimed as if it were the most ludicrous thing in the world. "I am not!"

Neville, ever the peace seeker, tried to divert their attentions from the conflict. "Hogsmeade this weekend. Everyone's going, right?" Neville's tactic corked, because the room started buzzing with talk of Honeyduke's and Zonko's.

Ron turned to Ginny and Harry. "Is that true? What Parvati said?"

"What did she say?" Ginny feigned innocence.

Ron glared at her. "You know what she said. Do I really talk about Hermione that much?"

"Well, not all the time." Harry tried to assure his friend.

"Just most of the time," Ginny finished, and shared a smile with Harry.

"She- she's my friend," Ron said strongly. "Of course I talk about her. I talk about Harry, too. Doesn't mean I fancy him!"

"You don't get jealous over Harry like you do Hermione," his sister pointed out.

"I am not jealous!" Ron cried.

Neville got up to leave, half-turning to say his goodbyes. He wasn't looking where he was going, and as he headed for the portrait hole, he collided with Hermione, who was coming in, and her books flew out of her arms and scattered everywhere. "Hermione! I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention..." Neville trailed off, looking very embarrassed.

Hermione sighed, and went about collecting her things. Neville attempted to help her, but their heads knocked together. Hermione rubbed her head and sighed again. "It's okay, Neville, I've got it."

Neville shot Hermione another apologetic look, then left, twisting his hands.

"Have you been in the library all this time since after Transfiguration?" Ron asked, handing Hermione a book that had slid to his feet.

"Well some of us actually try, and spend time doing our work." She gave him a reproving look.

"Oh, did you do the Potions essay? Can I see it?" Ron asked hopefully.

"No! You do your own!" Hermione told him firmly.

"Oh, come on, Hermione, please?"

"No!"

Well that went on for a few minutes, until Hermione relented slightly and agreed to help Ron later with his essay. Help, she reminded him, did not mean she would give him the answers.

Harry picked up a piece of parchment that had fluttered near the sofa where he sat. When he read what was written there, he grinned to himself, folded up the paper and stuck it in the pocket of his robes.

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"I'll tell you later." Harry smiled. "Say, Gin, before dinner tonight, could you distract your brother for a few minutes? I need to talk to Hermione, and I can't have Ron listening."

"Sure," Ginny agreed, albeit somewhat suspiciously.

"Don't worry, I'll fill you in later. I just have to talk to Hermione first." Harry had a mischievous look on his face.

* * * * *

Later, everyone was filtering down to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were among the last. Harry nodded to Ginny, who tapped her brother's arm to get his attention. Ron was wrapped up in what Hermione was going on about (she had discovered some new fact from Hogwarts, a History, and was telling anyone who'd listen.) Ron had heard this new fact about ten times already, but he found it fascinating. It was odd, he had never found anything like this that interesting before. Ginny tapped his arm again. "Ron!"

Finally, Ron turned to his sister. "What?!" he demanded.

"Er..." Ginny stalled. She hadn't thought that far ahead. Luckily for her, Neville caught up with the group. "Ron, could I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." Ron shrugged. He shot a look at Ginny, who threw her hands up and quickened her pace.

"Brothers," she muttered under her breath.

Harry held Hermione back while Neville and Ron continued. "So, Ron," Neville began.

"Yeah? What is it, Neville?" Ron glanced back darkly at Harry and Hermione.

"Well, you know, the Sweetheart Ball is coming up soon..."

The redhead gave his friend a confused look. "Are you asking me to the Ball?"

"What? No! No, of course not. I was just wondering if...if it would be all right with you if I asked Ginny."

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I remember last year, when Ginny was going out with Michael, you didn't like it..." Neville left off.

"Oh, that? Well, that was different." Ron tried to explain. "Michael was...and you're...it's fine," he finished lamely, unable to tell Neville that he thought he was "safe".

"What do you want, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I found this in the common room this afternoon." He handed her the piece of parchment.

Hermione paled. "Did anyone else see it?"

Harry shook his head. "I go it before anyone even noticed it was there. Hermione you have to tell him."

"Absolutely not! There is no way. Anyway, what am I supposed to do? Just walk up to him. 'Did you start your Potions essay yet? By the way, I'm in love with you.' !"

"Something like that, but maybe a little less blunt." Harry smiled. "You're the smartest girl in the school, you'll figure something out."

"I'm not smart about things like this!"

"Don't worry!" Harry called over his shoulder as he jogged to catch up with the rest of the group.

Hermione sighed in resignation. She unfolded the bit of parchment and read what she had written there, just this afternoon.

Why you? Why did it have to be you that I fancy? Yes, I admit it, all right? I fancy you. You make me so furious sometimes! And then there are other times...all those times you've stood up to me...to Malfoy, to Snape...And now, this thing with Viktor. Don't you understand? I don't care a lick for him. It's you I want. It's always been you.

You stupid, great prat, I'm in love with you.

Goodness, she thought to herself. I must be mad to feel this way! Then she caught a glimpse of Ron, a few feet head of her, talking excitedly with Harry about the previous Quidditch match versus Ravenclaw. She grinned as he ran a hand through his shock of read hair. Why does he have to be so bloody adorable? she thought affectionately as her stomach did a flip-flop. Then she shook her head at her actions. Honestly! I'm as bad as Lavender and Parvati!

Something Neville had said suddenly registered in Ron's brain. "Harry - did you ask anyone to the Ball yet?"

Harry shook his head. "I might ask Parvati. I had a nice time with her at the Yule Ball. Sort of," he amended.

"Oh, good, I still have time." Ron was visibly relieved.

"Well, not that much time. Especially if you want to ask someone before someone else does," he told his friend pointedly.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron was clueless.

"Okay, how about this: Who do you want to take?"

"I dunno..." Ron hedged.

"Yes you do," Harry insisted. "And she wants you to ask her."

"Harry, I have no idea--"

"Think about it, Ron." Harry cut him off, then left his best friend standing in in the middle of hall, bewildered.

At dinner, Harry made sure to get Ron and Hermione sitting together, with himself and Ginny a few feet away from them.

"So are you going to tell me what that was all about earlier?" Ginny demanded as soon as they sat down.

Harry grinned. "Well that piece of parchment I found? Proved that Hermione thinks about more than Charms and Arithmancy while she's in the library. She wrote, probably without realising it, all about how much she fancies your brother."

Ginny had a mischievous gleam in her eye as she tried to keep a straight face. "Hermione fancies Percy? I never would have guessed it -- although they do both put way too much importance on their studies."

Harry nudged Ginny, who sniggered. "I'm talking about Ron, and you know that."

The whole table was buzzing with conversations; mostly the girls seemed to want to talk about the Sweetheart Ball, while the boys didn't want to think about anything farther away than the coming weekend.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, why is this such a big deal? Lavender and Parvati won't quit about it; they're driving me mad!"

"Oh and why are you so calm about it?" Ron asked, a dark look crossing his face. "Is Vicky coming in from Bulgaria to take you?"

"Of course not, this ball's only for Hogwarts students," she replied automatically. Oh, why did I say it like that? Well, let's just see what his reaction is, she thought.

Two thoughts ran through Ron's head simultaneously. So she doesn't have a date yet! and But if Krum went here, he'd be taking her. "Are you going? Or are you holding out for a ball where your precious Vicky can take you? Maybe there's another one in Bulgaria at the same time, and you can go there!"

Hermione stood up, looking angrier than Ron had seen her look in two years. "You know something, Ron?" she seethed in a quiet deadly voice. "Sometimes you are really an idiot." She turned on her heel and headed for the door, trying to keep her emotions in check until she was safely out of the Hall.

Ginny watched Hermione storm out of the room, and sighed, shaking her head. "My brother is the world's biggest idiot." She turned to Harry. "You take him, I'll take her?"

Harry nodded, swinging his legs over the bench and adjusting his glasses. "Let's see if he knows what he did this time." He smirked, his green eyes twinkling.

Ginny giggled, and stood as well. "We'll compare notes later."

Neville stopped her before she got all the way out. "Say, Ginny," he began, wiping his hands on his robes. "I was wondering...would you go with me to the Sweetheart Ball?"

Ginny smiled at him. "Sure, Neville, I'd love to." Part of her wished someone else had asked her, but most of her was happy to go with Neville; the two of them were close friends. "Neville, I'll - I'll see you later, all right?" Her eyes flickered toward the entrance.

Neville nodded, relived that the matter of the Ball had been settled.

Ginny took off, sprinting toward where she had seen Hermione disappear.

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned against the cool stone wall, tears pricking behind her eyelids.

"What'd he do now?" asked a familiar voice. Hermione opened her eyes to see Ginny standing in front of her, arms crossed and a slight smirk playing on her lips.

"Your - brother," Hermione started slowly and deliberately, still steaming, "is the world's - biggest - git!"

Ginny raised an eyebrow, remembering that just the year before, Ron had said the exact same thing of their brother Percy, who, in Ginny's opinion, had deserved it much more. It also didn't get past her that Hermione always chastised Ron for using language like that. "He seems it a lot, doesn't he?" she agreed.

Hermione started to calm down. "Sometimes he surprises me with how sweet he can be, but then he goes and ruins it by acting like the huge prat he is!"

"Is he still on you about Viktor?"

"Yes! He won't let up - ever! I thought last year, when we were both made prefects, and spending so much time just the two of us, something might happen. Last year, for Christmas, he gave me perfume. Perfume! But then he didn't say anything. SO I thought maybe reminding him subtly that there was someone else interested in me would make him realise it. Well, obviously, that just made it worse. Then this year - well, he's back to treating me like 'just Hermione, so glad she's not a girl'!"

Ginny interrupted. "Believe me, he knows you're a girl. He hasn't forgotten that."

"But then why is he acting like this? Maybe - oh, Ginny, maybe he doesn't feel like - "

"Like you do for him?" Ginny finished. "Hermione, you shouldn't worry so much. I mean - it's just Ron. See what happens in the next week. Don't hint, don't play coy. Just, you know, pick on him like you always do." Ginny grinned.

Hermione scowled. "I don't pick on him. I just hate it when he gets so lazy. he doesn't know how smart he is - and he is really clever! He just goes and puts all his efforts into Quidditch and annoying me instead of class!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and began coaxing Hermione back toward the Great Hall. "Honestly, I don't know why you like him so much," she shrugged.

Hermione paused, and looked at Ginny. Then she laughed. "I don't know either!"

Harry took a seat next to Ron. "Why's she angry with you?"

"I don't know," Ron said grumpily. "I didn't do anything. We started talking about that stupid Sweetheart Ball, and then she called me an idiot and stormed out!"

"What did you say?"

Ron looked down at the table. "I just asked her if Krum was coming to take her," he mumbled.

"Why do you keep talking about him if you know it's just going to start a row?" Harry asked shrewdly.

"I don't know why she gets so upset. She doesn't like talking about her boyfriend?"

"I don't think he's really her boyfriend," Harry mused. "I mean, they went on one date. He invited her to come visit him, but she didn't go. She went to Grimmauld Place instead -- where you were. I don't think Krum is any more her boyfriend than you or I are."

Ron looked up, giving his best friend a wary look. "Harry --"

"No," Harry interrupted. "For the millionth time, there is nothing going on between me and Hermione." He rolled his eyes. "Really, Ron, don't you think you'd know if I was going out with someone - especially Hermione!?"

"I guess..." Ron thought for a moment. "I suppose I should make it up with her. I like making her angry." He grinned wickedly. "But then I hate it when she's angry at me."

"Maybe you should just ask her out and be done with the whole thing."

Ron looked shocked. "Ask her out? Hermione? Like go out - me and her?"

"Yes! The two of you are getting on my nerves. Just ask her to the Ball. The three of us will be much better off once you two stop bloody denying how you feel."

"What are you saying, Harry? That I fancy Hermione? Because I don't," he added quickly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever you say. You don't fancy Hermione. And your sister never fancied me."

"You know Ginny used to have a crush on you!"

"Just go find Hermione and make it up with her."

Ron glowered at Harry, but got up from the table just as Ginny and Hermione walked back into the Great Hall. "Ginny, go away," he ordered abruptly.

"You're lucky you're an only child," Ginny told Hermione, and walked off after giving Ron a look of death.

"What do you want, Ron?" Hermione sighed.

"I want you not to be cross with me. I'm sorry if you're upset. I'm sorry if I said something that made you angry."

Hermione looked bemused for a moment, then shook herself out of it. She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you keep bringing up subjects that cause fights?"

"Why don't you like talking about him?"

"Two things, Ron. One, this is not the way to make me less cross with you. Two, it's not that I mind talking about Viktor, it's the way you react."

Ron didn't want to start another row, so he wisely kept his mouth shut for once. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"Is that all?" Hermione asked shortly.

"No...well...er...you know the Sweetheart Ball is coming up?"

"Yes, I do know that, Ron. That's what you wanted to tell me?"

"Just - just give me a minute here, Hermione!" Ron's temper was beginning to flare up, his ears were glowing red.

"Fine, Ron, what is it?"

"Do you have a date yet for the Ball?"

"No..." Hermione studied Ron's face, trying to see what he was getting at.

The redness in Ron's ears had spread to his face. "I thought...well, it might be nice to...to go with a friend, y'see..."

"That's a wonderful idea."

"It is?"

"Yes," Hermione said simply, pushing past him. "I hope you and Harry have a marvellous time at the Ball."

* * * * *

Later that night, Hermione was in her dormitory, going over the conversation that she and Ron had had for the hundredth time. Who's the idiot now? she berated herself.

Giggly voices penetrated the blissful silence of the room. Parvati and Lavender had returned and were deep in conversation about their favourite subject - boys.

"He'd better ask me tomorrow, that's all," Lavender was saying. "If he doesn't ask me soon, I'll - I'll go with someone else!" she threatened.

"That doesn't work," Hermione commented.

Both girls turned their attention toward their roommate who usually had no desire to join in such discussions. "How do you know it won't work?" Lavender asked.

"Because, fourth year, the Yule Ball, I got sick and tired of waiting for the boy I wanted to ask me, and I went with someone else."

The girls were confused. "You mean - you didn't want to go the the Ball with Viktor Krum?" asked Parvati. "A famous Quidditch player was interested in you, and you were holding out for who - Harry? He wasn't the world's greatest date, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to say it? Harry is my best friend. Nothing more. Boys and girls can be friends without being more, you know."

Lavender and Parvati exchanged a look, squealed together, and plopped themselves down on Hermione's bed on either side of her. "This is perfect!" Lavender had forgotten all about her date crisis. "Everyone knows Ron fancies you."

Hermione's face went crimson. "He does not," she protested.

"Of course he does." Parvati waved off Hermione's words impatiently. "Padma told me he spent the entire night of the Yule Ball staring at you, complaining about your date, or just talking about you in general."

Hermione frowned. "You two have got it all wrong. Ron does not fancy me."

"Let's not argue," Lavender suggested. "Let's just figure out how to get him to ask you to the Sweetheart Ball." The look on her face was screaming "PROJECT!"

Hermione didn't feel much like discussing her potential love life with her roommates. "I thought you were trying to figure out how to get Seamus to ask you to the Ball."

The two girls looked at each other and frowned. "Yes...well..." Parvati wasn't sure which topic to focus on.

"Who are you going with, Parvati?" Hermione was desperate not to be the centre of attention.

"I'm keeping my options open." Parvati grinned as her fingers worked deftly to loosen her hair from its plait. "Dean's asked me, and so have a two seventh years."

Hermione was impressed, but not surprised. Parvati was the prettiest girl in their year, and she knew all the boys were quite aware of that fact.

"Why do I have to go to this stupid ball anyway?" Ron complained, flopping down on his bed.

"What happened?" Harry asked patiently.

"I tried to ask her, but she thought I meant I was going with you!"

Harry burst into laughter.

"The ball!" came a voice from across the room. Seamus pulled back his hangings and was looking horrified. "I forgot all about it! Oh, Lavender's going to kill me!" he lamented.

Harry and Ron looked over at Seamus with mild surprise. "I didn't know you two were going out," Harry commented. Seamus and Lavender, Ron and Hermione...was everyone pairing off?

"We're not...not exactly..." Seamus went slightly pink in the face. "But something like this -- if I don't ask her, she won't talk to me for a month," he said gloomily. "One time she caught me flirting with a fifth year Hufflepuff and she threatened to hex me."

"How about a pact?" Harry suggested. "The five of us. We need to have dates for the Sweetheart Ball. By this time next week."

"I have a date already," Neville spoke up. "I'm going to the ball with Ginny."

"And I've asked Parvati." Dean joined the discussion. "But she hasn't said yes or no yet."

Harry scowled slightly. Not only had Neville and Dean asked girls before he had even thought of it, but he had planned to ask Parvati. There went that idea. "Fine, then. The three of us, and Dean if Parvati says no. One week."

Seamus agreed at once, this was a good way to ask Lavender sooner rather than later. Ron relented after a few moments, grudgingly admitting that it might not be such a bad idea if he properly asked Hermione.

Now the only problem for Harry was who to ask. The only other girl he had briefly entertained the notion of asking was Ginny, and Neville had gotten there first. There was the possibility of Luna Lovegood, Harry thought. Odd as she was, she had proved to be a good friend to Harry this year. He didn't think he could have gotten through Sirius' death without her.