Much Ado About Hermione

Chapter 15: The Confrontation

The dark enclave that his curtains created around his bed was conducive to sleeping, which was what Harry was doing at that exact moment. His hair splayed across the pillow in a wild mass and his mouth slightly opened, he omitted wheezing noises from the back of his throat. Freed from the troubles and tribulations of the present, his body was now enveloped in a euphoric sensation as he dreamt. A content smile crept onto his lips as early infant memories of he and his parents flashed into his mind - memories that will surely be forgotten when he awoke.

But his peaceful slumber was soon interrupted when he began to feel a warm sensation on his skin, causing him to stir in his sleep; first moving his head and then touching his face. When he finally opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by the strong rays of the noonday sun that flooded through the window and shone on his face, washing him with splashes of yellow and gold. His hands went to shield his eyes as his pupils adjusted to the brightness.

Harry squinted and glanced up at the young man standing before him; whose silhouette was made more impressive by the light that cascaded against his figure. Ron's arms were pinned against his chest, his brown eyes glaring down at him. Harry said nothing nor made any reaction as he stared at the redhead's face.

The green-eyed boy's gaze then traveled to his bed curtains, which were pulled back. He hesitated for a moment before his hand shot up and his fingers enclosed around the heavy fabric, once more returning his bed to the dark enclosure that had induced his pleasant sleep.

However, his effort was all for nothing, as the light came back once more; this time brighter as the redhead had now pulled back the curtain to the bedpost. Ron then stood defiantly where he was, his legs spread apart. "You and I have to talk," he said.

Harry rubbed his weary eyes. "Please close the curtains and let me go back to sleep." His voice was hoarse and scratchy. Ron made no move, as his eyes stayed fixed on him, glaring down at him a steady stream of resentment. After a few minutes of squinting into the sun, Harry realized his friend had no intentions of leaving any time soon. He finally rolled over onto his side, turning his back to Ron.

"I'm not going anywhere," came the redhead's voice from behind him. "So you might as well just get up."

Harry didn't respond, hoping his silence would force the other boy to leave the dorm.

"Harry," Ron said again, this time in a louder voice.

Harry signed loudly and then rolled onto his back. Positioning his pillows against his headboard, he sat up so he could properly look at the other boy. Ron wore an angry look on his face; but since he was not ranting and raving and had relied on the brightness of the sun to slowly ease him out of his sleep, instead of waking him by sheer brute force, Harry calculated Hermione had not told him about the gist of their relationship.

"She probably sent him up here, so I would tell him," Harry said to himself. He kept his eyes focused forward, and remained silent, as he wanted to postpone having to convey the gory details for as long as possible.

"How could you do that?" Ron asked.

Harry brought his hands from under the covers and neatly folded them in his lap. "Do what?"

"You know exactly what you did. When I came in here, I found Hermione crying in the common room. Clearly upset by what you said to her."

The placid look on Harry's face diminished, as he glanced up at his friend. "So, she told you what's been going on?"

"Yeah, she told me."

Harry sighed noisily, as the burden was now lifted from his shoulders. "Wow, I didn't think she would actually do it. I thought I'd have to do it myself."

But his joy was short-lived when he imagined the intense emotions his friend must have been feeling at that moment, probably much like his own when he first discovered the truth.

"I know you're upset at the moment," Harry began, "just like I was when I first found out. But I want you to know that I had no idea. I was in the dark just like you." He didn't glance at the other boy, as he did not want to reveal too much of his own suffering, which would surely be reflected in his eyes. "But don't be upset with Hermione either. She didn't mean for it to go this far. It took a lot of courage for her to even tell you."

"Why would I be upset with Hermione? You're the one who's to blame."

Harry brought his hand to his chest. "Me? You're blaming me for all of this?"

"Yes."

He noticed the way Ron was staring at him with accusing eyes. Harry maintained eye contact with him for several moments, as he tried to get some insight into the redhead's reasoning. "I can understand why you'd find me at fault. I guess you want to believe Hermione is the innocent party in all of this because you still love her. But I never meant to hurt you. I wouldn't do that."

Ron curled his upper lip. "Yes you would. And you have. You knew that going after Hermione the way you did would be the only thing that would hurt me the most."

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Harry said, "I swear to God. I wouldn't have even gotten into this situation if I knew it was going to be like this. I care too much about you." He kept vigilant eye contact with Ron as he tried to communicate his condolences, but Ron broke their gaze.

"Yeah right," the redhead muttered as he glanced at the window.

Harry looked down at his hands. "I know things haven't been going well between us this year, but I really care--"

"Spare me the melodrama. You can sit there and say how much you love me all you want, but the truth remains that you went after Herm."

Something in Ron's voice caught Harry's immediate attention. The redhead's tone seemed to give away his deepest feelings, even if he didn't verbalize them. Harry watched as Ron turned around and lifted his hands to his eyes, although he tried to keep Harry from seeing his actions. The sight didn't much surprise Harry, as Ron's emotions were just under the surface.

Finally Ron faced him again, this time the glare in his eyes more intense than before. The redhead observed Harry's face to see if he would comment on what had just transpired. Harry kept quiet, as he tried hard to hide all knowledge of his friend's doings from being evident on his face; he didn't want to embarrass the other boy.

"You knew how much I cared about her," said Ron, "but you didn't care. I never in a million years would have thought you'd do something like that."

Harry reached out his hand in an attempt to touch his friend on the arm; but Ron quickly moved out of his reach, looking at that hand with some contempt as it lingered only inches away from him.

Harry brought his hand back to his lap. "I didn't plan for it to happen. It just did." His brows drew together as he stopped to rethink what he just said, after noticing the lack of certainty in his voice.

"Of course you planned it," replied Ron. "And you just couldn't wait to get her alone, could you?"

"Didn't we have this conversation earlier? Like I told you before, I'm not the one who was always chasing after her, she was coming to me." He then thought back to all the occasions in which she had approached him: during the time he had been ill, and that fateful afternoon when her presence in the boys' dorm had brought about their first amorous tryst. "It's not like I could control it."

"Well, I guess you used that to your advantage. You knew she would come after you when you left Hogsmeade. You knew she wouldn't let you storm off like that." Ron began to shake his head at him in a disapproving manner. "She just came over here to make sure you were okay and you had to go and say those nasty things to her."

Harry sat up straight in his bed as he heard the accusation. "Wait a minute. I didn't say anything cruel to her."

Ron placed his hands on his hips and adopted a haughty stance. "You mean to tell me you didn't call her a tart?"

"I never said..." Harry stopped talking as he thought back to his and Hermione's conversation; that unpleasant word was indeed used at one point in the discussion. "I didn't exactly call her that, but I could see where she got that impression. But I didn't mean it at all."

A smug smile spread on Ron's face as he heard Harry's confession. "Whether or not you meant is not the point. How could you say something like that to her?"

"I guess she hasn't gotten over it."

"Gotten over it? How could she get over the fact that a dear friend disrespected her?"

Harry stayed quiet and hung his head low when he realized the absurdity of his comment, as he himself had not entirely recovered from the hurting of his and Hermione's earlier dialogue.

Ron turned and placed his hand on Harry's bed curtains, rearranging the fabric. "You just don't quickly get over stuff like that. And despite her persona, she's very sensitive." He flashed Harry a sideways glance.

Harry looked up at the curtains, thinking how with one hard pull, Ron could easily cause the heavy fabric to come crashing down on him. But the redhead's movements were gentle, as his hand glided effortlessly along the deep folds of the material, as if feeling the downy texture underneath his fingers soothed him.

Harry eyed the tranquil appearance on Ron's face. "I'm really surprised how calm you're being about all of this."

Ron stopped his activities. He took a step towards the bed and placed his hands on the mattress. His face only inches away from Harry, his hot breath coming out in short pants. "Do I look calm to you?" the redhead asked in a controlled voice. "I'm angry as hell. You should be on the floor right now, with my fist in your face."

Harry's eyes shot down to the other boy's hands, watching as he clutched the bed sheets tightly in his fists. He kept his guard; having now aroused some deep emotions from Ron, he made his way to the other side of the bed, lest there be need for a hasty exit.

Ron eyed him for a moment, but then pulled away from the bed and walked to the window. "Don't worry," he muttered under his breath, "I'm not going to do anything to you." He then proceeded to walk to another bed.

His curtains blocking his view, Harry could do no more than sit back and listen to the tapping of Ron's shoes as he walked to and fro around the room.

"Regardless of what you might think," Ron began, "I still value our friendship."

Harry heard the distinct creaking of Ron's bedsprings. When he pulled back the curtains nearest to him, he witnessed the redhead sitting cross-legged on his bed, his head lowered.

Ron stayed in that position for a while, before looking up and beginning to talk once more. "When Hermione first told me about what you said to her, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't imagine that you would do something like that to her. I wanted to do all sorts of things to you to make you feel the way she felt."

The hard look in Ron's eyes left little doubt in Harry's mind that the other boy would clearly have done his best to inflict great pain on him.

Ron lowered his head. "But now, I just want you to explain to me why you said those things.

"I was really angry," Harry said. "I was angry at her, at myself and this whole situation." His hand went to his head as he began to straighten out his messy hair. As if it had occurred to him all at once that he had been napping, he quickly began to rub his eyes and the corners of his mouth, making sure all signs of sleep were not present on his face. He looked across at Ron, who was now reclining back on his bed, watching him with an air of serenity.

"It's really amazing how you're taking this," said Harry. Having been witness to how the redhead had handled other similar situations that dealt with matters of the heart, Harry was unaccustomed to the calm he was now witnessing in his friend.

"How do you expect me to take this? I already told you that I don't want to do anything rash until I get your side of the story. Plus, I don't want to upset Hermione anymore than she already is." Ron then gave Harry a hard glare.

Harry looked down as he felt Ron sizing him up, making him shift uncomfortably on the bed. He only looked up when he heard the other boy's laughter.

"What?" Harry asked.

"It's just that..." Ron gave him a wide toothy grin and shook his head. "Never mind."

Harry kept quiet, having been friends with the other boy long enough to know that he didn't hold onto secrets for very long. After a few moments, Harry could see Ron throwing him glances as if begging him to ask the question. Finally, he could not take anymore of the heavy silence and decided to give into his friend's silent wishes for just that once. "What were you laughing about?" he asked.

"It's just that I know why you did the things you did." Ron paused for a moment - perhaps to create suspense. "You're jealous of me."

Harry gave the other boy a long stare; waiting to see if he would profess to merely joking around. After a few minutes of waiting, he finally said, "No offense Ron, but I'm not jealous of you."

Ron remained undaunted and continued to smile, the same cheeky grin that always irritated Malfoy. "It's okay, you don't have to pretend anymore. I won't tell anyone."

"Ron, I'm really not jealous of you and I don't know why on earth you would think that right now." He reached for the pillow on the other side of his bed and placed it behind his back. "I don't know why you're acting the way you are. I guess hearing the news has shocked you too much because some of the stuff you're saying right now doesn't make any sense."

"It makes plenty of sense to me," replied Ron. "I know for a fact you're mad I got with Hermione first."

"Are you serious about this? I can't believe you would say that right now. This was not a contest. It doesn't matter who got with her first, or who slept with her first."

"I know it matters to you, so don't sit there and tell me it doesn't. That's the whole reason why you said those things to her, because I'm with her and you're not."

"Are you crazy? Technically speaking she's not with anyone at this point."

Having been leaning against his headboard, the redhead's body was now erect, and his face lost the aloofness of a few minutes before. "That's what you'd like to believe, but we're very much a couple. You could see perfectly well at the store that she and I are together. That's why you got mad and left."

"Yes, I was angry when I saw the two of you together, but now I know the situation. And as for me being jealous of you, how could I be, when she and I were also a couple?"

Harry looked down for a moment to adjust his shirt, as it had gotten tangled around his body during his nap. He was busy with this activity, when he felt Ron's heavy presence over him. He looked up to see the other boy standing next to his bed. Harry flinched and moved away, but Ron did not advance.

"Dating you, my ass," uttered Ron. "You think I'm delusional for not being angrier? Well, I think you're a nut for thinking you were with Hermione. I've tried to keep myself under control, but I can't sit here and listen to you talk about how you dated her."

Harry looked at the other boy's face for a while, before coming to his realization. "She hasn't told you yet, has she?"

"Of course she told me. What on earth do you think we've been talking about for all this time?" He gave Harry an intense glare, before heading for the door. " Jesus. You're just as mad as I had imagined." He shook his head. "But I can't worry about you now, I have to tend to Hermione."

"Be prepared for the worse," Harry called out.

Ron halted at the entryway and slowly glanced over his shoulder. "Prepared for the worse? I've already seen the worse, thank you very much. Hermione was nearly uncontrollable a while ago."

"I'm not talking about that. When she gets around to telling you what's been going on for all these months, you'll know what I mean." He watched as Ron gave him a dismissive look. "After you hear what she has to reveal," he continued, "you'll see why I was so angry with her."

Harry lowered his gaze. "You're going to be devastated by what you hear. Just like I was.." His head began to pound as Hermione's words came back to his mind. He closed his eyes. "Still am." When he glanced up, Ron was making his way towards him, his long legs getting him to the bed in a mere second's time.

Ron grabbed him by the shirt collar, violently jerking his body forward. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" the redhead shouted. He glared down at the green-eyed boy for a moment; his breathing coming out in fast puffs. "Are you trying to say she had it coming?"

Harry tried to shake his head, but he couldn't move his neck. He reached for Ron's fingers, trying to pry them off his clothes, but the other boy's grip could not be loosened.

"Nothing gives you the right to upset her like that," Ron screamed into his ear. He pressed his mouth against the side of Harry's face and said in a harsh voice, "Do you know the kind of damage you caused? When I came in here, I thought she was having a nervous breakdown; she was crying nonstop." He stared at Harry's face for a while, and then finally let go of the boy's shirt.

Harry began to rub his neck, scratching at the red lines that were developing on his skin.

"The thing that bothers me the most," said Ron when he sat on his bed again, "is that you would treat her so poorly, after all she has done for you. She has been supportive of you all these years and." He stopped talking and glared down at Harry, who was still fumbling with his collar. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes. And I didn't treat her badly. I would never do anything to purposely hurt her. I love her too much."

Ron made a face and eyed him. "Yeah, I bet you do. I could sometimes hear how much you loved her late at night when you thought everyone was sleeping."

Harry looked down at his hands. A strong burning sensation flooded his cheeks. He had long forgotten those nights; it had been awhile since he'd conducted one of those activities. He glanced up at the other boy, who had a sickeningly smug expression on his lips, like he'd waited an eternity just for the opportunity to utter those words.

The green-eyed boy waited until the sudden rush of heat exited from his face before talking again. "Ron, haven't you stopped to ask yourself what Hermione and I could have been talking about to cause us to have an argument? Knowing that we're such close friends, wouldn't you think that the subject matter we were discussing would have been intense for me to say those things to her?"

Ron didn't have to consider his question and answered almost immediately. "Like I said before, even though you tried to dismiss my statement as nonsense, you're jealous of me." He waited a moment, half expecting Harry to counter his statement, but the other boy said nothing.

Harry placed his hands behind his head, as he waited for the redhead's reasoning.

"You were upset because she and I are happy," continued Ron, "and you have no one in your life. The sight of us kissing," he paused when he realized how he emphasized that last word, but then he continued, "outraged and caused you to storm out of the shop."

Harry didn't give much of a reaction as he stared blankly at Ron's face.

"And you're also mad that Hermione find out about your little secret," the redhead blurted. Ron placed his hands on his head. "Oh my God, it's all clear now." He turned and gave Harry a smile that communicated to the other boy he was holding a most terrific secret. He eyes then dared Harry to try to guess what this bombshell could be.

After a few moments of exchanging glances, Harry finally succumbed to the inevitable and asked, "What is it?"

"Hermione discovered that you've been lying to both of us for all this time, and that's why you lost your temper with her."

Harry was just about to ask Ron to elaborate, when he realized that the redhead needed no encouragement from him to continue talking.

"She told me earlier in the common room that you didn't have a mystery Ravenclaw girlfriend after all." He watched Harry's face for any signs of surprise, but the green-eyed boy remained calm.

Ron frowned, as s a tinge of disappointment spread on his face. But he continued talking nonetheless. "She found out about your little lie and followed you back here to confront you. And that's when you said those things to her. Because you feared that word would get back to me."

"I never actually said anything about having a secret Ravenclaw girl," Harry responded. "You're the one that came to that conclusion."

As Ron recalled their conversation in his head, the smug look of triumph began to fade from his face. "But you never corrected me. You led me to believe you had a girlfriend."

Harry looked down at his lap. "Whatever. I don't want to fight with you anymore. I've had enough for today." He stared into his friend's eyes. "Ron, I want you to know something because I don't know if Hermione will have the strength to tell you herself."

"What? You're going to finally tell me that you paid some girl to put lipstick marks on your neck so you can fool everyone?"

Harry didn't respond to the sarcastic quip and continued to look at his friend with some remorse. "No. It's something more serious."

Ron finally adopted a serious expression as he waited for Harry to enlighten him.

"I'm not saying this to upset you," Harry began. "I just think it's time that you learn the truth. And I don't want you to think Hermione and I did this maliciously. It's just that things got a bit--"

"Jesus. Will you just go on and say it?"

Harry dropped his gaze to his bedcovers once more. "Hermione and I have been seeing each other for about two months now." Waiting several moments and still not getting a response from the other boy, Harry glanced up at his friend.

Ron had now rolled onto his back, his mouth opened wide. There was no sound coming out of his mouth immediately, but soon his laughing flooded the room.

Harry ignored his cackling and remained focused on what he needed to say. "I know it's hard for you to believe," he said over the other boy's laughter, "but it's true. And that Ravenclaw girl that you think I made up is actually real, except she's in Gryffindor. Hermione and I have been sneaking out late at night to the empty classrooms on the fifth floor for some time now."

Soon the room was quiet, as Ron had stopped laughing. Or maybe he was cackling quietly to himself; Harry was too afraid to look over at him. His eyes stayed glued to his blanket, as it somehow provided the courage he needed to continue. "And you were right in believing I was mad at seeing the two of you in Hogsmeade. I stormed off because Hermione was kissing you." He waited for a few more minutes, but still the other boy made no sound.

Harry attempted to glance up, when he felt Ron's body over him. Before he could move out of the way, he found himself pinned underneath the other boy, who now had a hold of his neck.

"You better be making all of this up," shouted Ron as he was now straddling Harry, "because it's not funny."

"I'm not making this up," Harry shouted back. "She and I have been going out together."

"Stop saying that! She's with me." Ron tightened his grip around Harry's neck as the emotions came flooding into his body. "She's my girlfriend and not yours."

Harry thrashed his body, trying to free himself. Although both boys were nearly the same size and strength, Harry seemed overpowered.

"Hermione's been dating both of us," Harry said quickly. "I didn't know she was with you."

"Shut up. I don't believe you." Ron brought his hand to his eyes.

His neck finally free, Harry took his opportunity to try to grab Ron's body and push him away. But the redhead was on the alert, and he lifted his right hand into the air, his fingers curling into a fist and aiming at Harry's face. Harry fell back onto the mattress, not daring to move and ceasing his attempt to get away.

"Say you're making this shit up," shouted Ron. "Now!"

"Why would I lie to you about something like this? Think back to all those evenings you'd been looking for Hermione in the common room and she wasn't there. Think why Hermione would go after me when I left the shop."

"Because she's your friend and cares about you." Ron pursed his lips into a tight line as his breathing intensified. "Enough of this. I want you to admit that you're lying. Please don't make me hit you."

Harry stared up into Ron's watering eyes and then at that fist that was now shakily perched above his face. "If you hit me, I won't try to stop you. But I want you to know that I won't let this affect our friendship. I'd act the same way if I were you." Harry then closed his eyes, apparently preparing for the inevitable blow that would soon come.

A hot tear trickled down Ron's cheek. "Tell me the truth. Say you're lying."

Harry remained quiet.

Ron squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to stop his tears. "I don't want to do this to--"

"Ron don't," came Hermione's voice.

Ron glanced over his shoulder and stared at the girl in the doorway. "Herm, he's lying to me. He's telling me all kinds of things about you. Making stuff up about you guys being together."

Hearing Hermione's voice, Harry opened his eyes and lifted his head off the pillow. "Tell him the truth," he said in a raspy voice, the result of having too much pressure placed around his neck. "He deserves to know."

Hermione stayed quiet as stared back at him with petrified eyes.

"Please Hermione."

Ron's hand came down on Harry's neck, roughly pushing him into the mattress. "You better shut up," the redhead bellowed. "Don't make me hit you."

"Hermione," Harry shouted again, "tell him now."

Ron raised his fist higher in the air. "Didn't I just tell you to be--"

"He's telling the truth," Hermione finally said.

The redhead gazed at her once more. "You don't have to lie to protect him." He then glared down at Harry's reddening face. "After what he's done to you, I'm surprised you'd even try to help him. You should have heard some of the stuff he's been saying about you. Lies, all of them."

Hermione approached the bed and placed her hand on Ron's shoulder. "He hasn't been making anything up. I heard what he said while I was in the staircase, and it's all the truth."

Ron opened his mouth to refute her statement, but stopped when he saw the expression in her eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment. Ron then looked from Hermione to Harry. Then suddenly, his eyes grew wide with horror.

Then, as if lifeless, his fist dropped from its perch above Harry's head and landed on the green-eyed boy's chest with a light thud. He lowered his head for a moment, and then collapsed on top of Harry.

As Ron's jagged breathing fanned out against his ears, Harry brought his arms around his friend's body and embraced him tightly, as he knew too well what the other boy was experiencing at that moment. Ron pushed Harry's arms away and got off of him. He sat up on the bed, his limp body leaning against the headboard, his eyes looking straight ahead.

Harry stared at his friend's expressionless face, which was now looking as if all the life had been drained from him. The redhead's hair had even lost some of its brilliance. Harry took his friend's hand in his. Ron did not respond to the caress for quite some time, but eventually looked up at him. Their gazes met and locked, as they exchanged silent messages to one another. Harry soon felt Ron giving his hand a light squeeze in response.

When they had finished communicating, Harry let go of his hand. He got off the bed and walked to the door, not glancing at the girl standing to his left. She reached out her hand and lightly grazed his arm with the tips of her fingers, but he made no reaction to the caress and continued to make his way to the stairs.

He was halfway down the staircase, when he heard footsteps behind him. "Wait," she said as she descended the stairs two at a time to catch up with him.

He paused at one of the steps, his back turned to her. She slowly approached him and grabbed him by the shoulders, turning him around. She looked at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into an embrace.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you beforehand," she whispered into his ear. "I wanted to, but." She pulled away and stared at his face. "Did he hit you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then what's this?" she asked. She let out a gasp and then placed her hands over her mouth as she eyed the long red lines and finger marks that covered his neck and shoulder. She then proceeded to hug him again, this time clinging onto his body."

"I'm fine," he said when he heard her sniffling." He pulled out of their embrace and proceeded to walk down one more step. "I'm going for a walk. I don't think the others will be coming back from Hogsmeade anytime soon, so you and Ron should have plenty of privacy to talk."

She grabbed his hand. "I don't think I can do this again. Why don't you help me talk to him?"

He reached over and wiped the strands of hair out of her face. "No. I think he needs you to tell him the truth. Plus, it'll just embarrass him if I'm in the room." His hand stayed on her face, as he tried to soothe her with his touch. "Don't fret. I know you can do this." He brought his lips onto her forehead. He looked at her once more, before continuing down the stairs.

"Is everything all right between you and I?" Hermione called after him.

Harry stopped at the last step and thought about the question. He gave her a fleeting glance over his shoulder, before proceeding into the common room.