Clueless

Hermione coughed, Ron sighed. "Yes?"

"Are you thinking of her again?" Hermione asked a little stiffly. Ron wanted to laugh his head off like a maniac, but he decided that it would leave her with the wrong impression ...and he didn't want to do that now did he?

Ron hoped that it was envy that made her voice so stiff...but he doubted it, Hermione was never jealous. Hermione was perfect. "Yes, Hermione, I'm thinking of her again." Hermione's lips pursed. She had a sneaking suspicion that this girl was Parvati Patil.

"Well, what is she doing in your head? She's not supposed to be there! She's supposed to be working on her Divination homework, like a good little girl! Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be doing your Divination homework? Why are you daydreaming? There's work to be done! You shouldn't wait until the last minute like you usually do."

Ron rolled his eyes; that was just like Hermione, she had the unusual and unfortunate capability of finding a way of nagging about anything and everything under the sun.

"Hermione, you know the strategy Harry and I use when it comes to Divination. No need to lecture, 'cause I don't see it changing anytime soon. The woman is a fraud. There's really no point in humoring her. And no, the girl I'm thinking about doesn't take Divination, so I don't suppose she could be doing Divination homework, now could she?"

Hermione was regularly floored. So it wasn't little Miss Patil after all....

"Is it Scourry Wilbone?"

Ron gasped with mock indignation, "Are you kidding me? That Ravenclaw--uh--girl? What do you take me for?! I'm not blind y'know!" Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you've got to admit she's quite horrible!" Her nose flared. "Well she IS! What can I say to lighten the blow?" Hermione was looking up as though she couldn't hear him. Suddenly she came down to earth again.

"Ron! It's not-It couldn't be-….NO!" Ron turned red. "Yeah, I've tried to tell yo-" Hermione's mouth was open, and she yelped excitedly, "NOT Pandetta Bockswattle! Ohhh, Ron!! I-I don't know what to say! I had never imagined! Never once dreamed that-"

Ron's head was in his hands, and he was muttering, " Why is one of my two best friends in the whole wide world acting like a raving lunatic? It would be so much easier if she just suddenly had a revelation and it came to her without me having to go through the humiliation of spelling it out!!"

Hermione seemed to be on her own little planet at that right moment, and didn't seem to see that Ron had turned red and had tried to hide his entire head in his hands. "And what'll you call them? Her family is so picky! You know...they'd probably end up naming them in the end. Hmmmm...unless you eloped, and had the children in secret...that may work, but I'm pretty sure that they'd hunt you do-"

Ron had had enough--she was talking about him eloping for goodness sakes! "Hermione, calm down!! It's not Pandetta!! I was thinking of you!" Hermione was wearing a frown. Ron's ears turned redder than ever. "What??" Ron winced. She had to be doing this on purpose. No one could possibly make anyone suffer like this with purely innocent intentions.

"Er-well, y'see…it all started in third year…or at least I think it started then, I'm not qu-" Hermione cut him off. (Again) "Umm…Ron?"

"Yeah?" Ron peeked through his hands. "Why exactly are you smiling like that while thinking of me…? If you think for one minute I'm going to do your Potions essay for you, you've got another thing coming, Buster!"

"Hermione, will you shut your gob?! Haven't you been listening to anything I've said for the past few minutes? I'm crazy about you--I've had feelings for you for…for…forever!! Possibly when I first met you. -Although I didn't quite show it all that well, now did I?- I was dying of jealousy when Krum…" He trailed off, the memory hurt too much.

Hermione sat back in satisfaction. She had had a sneaking suspicion that it was her from the moment that he had let it slip that the mystery girl didn't take Divination. Her wide-eyed ignorance was just pay back for the way he had treated her in fourth year. Her feelings for him had started at the end of first year. He deserved a little punishment, I mean, come on; Justice had to be served! (the "Vicky" thing still stung)

Smiling, Hermione sat in the big, cushiony chair next to him. He looked a question at her, and she grinned even wider. (Her teeth looked VERY different) Just before things were going to all go right as rain, Fred, George, and Harry walked into the common room.

"Well, it's about time too and all, I was getting kinda tired of being the moderator!" said a beaming Harry.

"You guys sure took your time about it, and everything!" said George. (or was it Fred?) Well, the other one (taking a fifty-fifty chance, I'd say it was Fred) sprang next to them like Tigger, patted them both on the back, and rolled his eyes, "Well, aren't you guys gonna kiss and get it over with?"

And they did just that.