Much Ado About Hermione

Chapter 4: Ron's Secret

Harry quickly descended the stairs of the castle onto the great lawn. He looked down the front of his dark red robes and inspected it for any stains. He glanced at his watch; he was fifteen minutes late. A look of amazement flooded his face as he thought of how long it had taken him to complete his task. In other circumstances, he would not have been any longer than five minutes.

He quickened his steps so he would not be any later to the class, as it was often up to him to give the struggling professor some encouragement when the Slytherins refused to partake in the activities. But when he saw Hagrid unloading large crates, Harry knew he didn't miss much.

His fellow students had all split into two large groups consisting of Slytherins and Gryffindors. The scene was just as it always was: the Slytherins in one corner of Hagrid's shack and the Gryffindors on the other side.

"Hagrid," said Harry when he reached the man's side, "do you need any help with that?"

"Do you need any help with that?'" mocked Millicent in a screechy voice - which sounded more like Dobby's than his own, he thought. Harry glanced up at her pug face and got a harsh glare in return as she placed her hands on her hips.

She stood a few feet away, surrounded by the other Slytherins. In the sea of dark green robes and menacing looks, Harry was able to spot the group's blond ringleader, who was prominently situated in the middle of the circle. Draco whispered something to his friends; they all gazed at Harry and laughed.

Harry looked away, unfazed. Having spent six years with them, he had become immune to the Slytherins' ridicule and comments. Plus, he was too relaxed to pay them any attention.

His eyes searched the numerous Gryffindor faces until he spotted Ron and Hermione. They were standing away from everyone else, their bodies nearly touching as they stood near one another. Harry lifted his hand and waved at Hermione when she made eye contact with him. She returned his smile and waved back, but that was the end of their interlude. Usually she and Ron would have walked to his side with some inquiry on how he managed with his robes - a question which he would have hesitated answering - but this time she stay glued to Ron's side.

Harry attempted to catch Ron's gaze, but the redhead only gave him a mere glance before returning his attention to Hermione. Harry stood back and watched him for a moment, a weary look on his face. He was going to call out his friends' names, but became distracted when Hagrid placed a heavy crate in his hands. On wobbly legs and buckling knees, Harry struggled to take the large crate near the fence. He made an audible noise when he nearly dropped the thing on the ground.

"What's wrong Harry?" asked Draco as he sat on top of the fence. "Can't handle all the weight?" He leaned over and placed a hand on Millicent's shoulder. "I bet she could lift it with no problem."

Harry glanced at the robust girl, eyeing her broad shoulders and large masculine arms and legs; she could definitely carry the crate with little difficulty. She could easily take on a troll, he thought. He watched in amazement as a wide crooked smile spread on the girl's face, as if she was actually proud of being the size she was.

"Everyone come towards me," shouted Hagrid as he signaled the students forward with his hands. "I want you all to pair up and take a skrewt."

All of the students groaned in unison as they recalled their last experiment with the creatures. "Not to worry," continued the professor, "these are a gentler breed. They won't hurt you that badly."

Harry turned to his two friends. If they weren't going to come to him, he would go to them. He walked to where they were standing and stood by Hermione's side. "I say we all go over there and pick out the smallest skrewt." He turned around and eyed the beasts, just as one of them shot out a blast of yellow flames from its end. "I don't know about you, but they don't look any more gentle than the last breed."

He took one step away from his friends when he realized that they were not going to follow him. He turned around and glanced at them.

Hermione looked up at Ron for a moment; their eyes locked and held for several seconds. Harry could tell that they were communicating with one another. Then Hermione mouthed something to the redhead and he mouthed something back to her. Trying hard to read their lips, Harry figured that they were both saying, "You do it."

Hermione turned and gazed at Harry with lowered eyes and a glum look on her face. "Ron and I have already decided to work together."

"But I'm sure Hagrid won't mind," Harry said. "He's let all three of us work together on many occ-"

"We've already decided," said Ron.

Harry opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when something in Ron's eyes caught his attention. He stared at his friend for a moment and then at Hermione, who wouldn't return his gaze. "Sure," he finally muttered. "I'll find someone else."

He was about to turn around when he felt Hermione's fingers entwine around his own. "Are you okay about this?" she asked. "I don't want you to feel left out."

Harry forced a smile onto his face. "I'm fine." He then watched as Ron put his arm around Hermione's waist and led her away. He spent several minutes in that same spot, watching as the two walked to collect their skrewt. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed the way Ron had his hand splayed against Hermione's back.

"You don't have a partner?" asked Hagrid.

Harry shook his head.

The professor wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "That's all right, you can work with me."

As the class dragged on, Harry only half listened to Hagrid's voice, as his mind was flooded with questions about his two friends. He turned around and stared at Ron and Hermione. He watched as Hermione raised herself up on the tips of her toes and whispered something into Ron's ear. When they pulled away, the redhead's face was flooded with surprise and the two stared at one another for some time.

Harry glanced down at the ground, his friends' crate was still unopened. When he looked up again, he caught Ron's gaze. The green-eyed quickly looked away. He waited several moments before turning around again. This time, Ron and Hermione had finally gotten around to taking their skrewt out of its box.

"Sorry you didn't have fun in class," said Hagrid as he began to put the beast back in its container. "I tried to make it enjoyable for you."

Harry lowered his eyes to the ground, wishing he had tried harder to indulge the man, instead of becoming consumed with what his two friends were doing and sneaking glimpses over his shoulder at them every so often. He looked at the man's dark eyes, which were usually so alive and full of energy. "The class was fun," Harry stated. "I just had some other things on my mind."

He watched as Hagrid continued to lock the crate, as if unimpressed by the flat apology. "I had a bad time in Potions class," the green-eyed boy continued. "Snape had a go at me."

The half giant got to his feet and looked down at Harry, placing a large hand on the boy's head. "It's okay. I understand." He then proceeded to ruffle his already disheveled locks.

As he helped Hagrid carry their crate back to the hut, Harry heard Hermione scream, "Hagrid, come here quick."

"What is it?" asked Hagrid when he reached Hermione's side.

"The skrewt burned me," muttered Ron. The redhead was sitting in the grass, cradling his right arm close to his body. "I guess I was holding it the wrong way because it shot some flames at me." Ron began to wince in pain when Hagrid gingerly pulled him to his feet.

"Is it really bad?" asked the professor.

"Yeah. It hurts a lot. I could see some swelling."

In the midst of the crowd of Gryffindors surrounding the injured student, Harry craned his neck so he could get a good look at his friend. But he was pushed out of the way as everyone rushed forward to view what they all expected to be a gruesome and bloody injury. But they were all disappointed when they saw nothing, as Ron kept his robes wrapped tightly around his arm.

"Why don't you go to the hospital wing?" suggested Hagrid. His eyes wandered through the throng of students before him, until they landed on Harry. "Harry," he called out to the boy, "why don't you help Ron?"

Harry took a step forward and reached out his hand to Ron.

The redhead quickly moved away. "I can make it on my own." He looked at Harry for a moment and then at Hermione, before walking away.

When class was dismissed, Harry and Hermione made their way back to the castle in silence. They walked behind Seamus and Dean, listening to the two boys as they discussed what they thought Ron's arm looked like. Harry flinched when he heard the other boys using phrases such as "puss filled boils."

Lunch was an uneventful affair, as neither he nor Hermione said a word to the other. He watched as she stared out into space, with a serene expression on her face. After repeatedly stirring her food over and over again on her plate, until it began to turn into mush, she got up from the table and quickly left the room. He followed her with his eyes as she left the Great Hall and trotted down the hall.

When the bell rang, signaling the start of afternoon classes, Harry made his way to the seventh floor and paused at the ladder that led to Trelawney's class. As the fragrant fumes drifted down from the room above and hit his face, he was suddenly reminded of the embarrassing episodes of the previous class. Trelawney had apparently mapped out his birth chart and had spent the entire class session explaining to the all the students why Harry was destined to lead a horrific life.

He turned around and hid in a dark corridor when he heard the voices of several classmates echoing in the hall. Lavender and Parvati walked by his hiding place, carrying their books under their arms. He waited till they were up the ladder and had gone into the class before making his way to Gryffindor Tower.

He collapsed into an overstuffed chair in front of the fire. His feet stretched out in front of him, he slump back in the chair as the glow of the flickering fire lulled him to sleep. As he closed his eyes, resting his frayed nerves from the sheer exhaustion of that morning, he began to hear a noise coming from one of the upstairs quarters.

He stood up and walked towards the stairs, as the noise got louder. He let the faint murmur lead him up to his dorm room. Glancing into the room, he saw Ron lying on his bed. Even though the curtains were pulled around him, Harry could see his friend's head and bare chest.

The sun's rays were reflecting off the beads of sweat on the redhead's body. The room was silent until Ron began to make groaning sounds deep in his throat. Poor Ron, Harry thought to himself, he must still be in pain. He was about to close the door and let his friend get some rest, when he looked at Ron's arms; there were no burn marks anywhere.

Harry took a step into the room, prepared to ask his friend if he had gone to the hospital wing, when the redhead started to moan louder. Harry scrunched his face as he heard the sounds.

"Oh Hermione," he heard Ron say.

He leaned forward to get a better view of Ron and he could see that the boy had a picture of Hermione in his left hand. He watched as he pressed it to his lips. Harry's gaze flickered from Ron's mouth to his right arm, which was moving up and down in a fluid motion. The green-eyed boy tilted his head to see why that arm was active, but the curtains blocked his view.

"Oh yeah," said Ron. The redhead's eyes were closed and his mouth opened. He let the picture fall onto his chest as he lifted his back off the mattress.

Harry stood perched in the doorway, unable to move. He brought his hand to his mouth as he watched the sight in front of him. His eyes were glued to that arm as it began to travel with increased fervor, the movements becoming shakier. As his friend's grunting grew louder, Harry quietly walked out the door and tiptoed down the stairs.