The Princely Wizard

Ron Weasley was lying on a pouf in the Common Room on a lazy Saturday afternoon when she came in, holding a book (as always), and looking mighty proud of herself.

He pretended to sleep, as he knew that nothing good could come of Hermione looking smug with a big old book in her hands. Probably taught herself how to fly without a broom, or something, Ron thought. That'd be just like Hermione. He felt a sort of pride bubble up, but he squished it just as quickly as he squeezed his eyes in a very unconvincing imitation of sleep.

Hermione stood over him, holding the book and grinning madly. He opened his eyes just a bit and sighed inwardly. "What?"

"I want to show you something," she said, still smiling. She's up to something.

She dropped a huge book onto the table in front of the pouf.

"What's this?" he asked, yawning.

"Ron, don't be dense. It's a book." Hermione Granger pushed her bushy brown bangs out of her eyes to properly glare at him.

"Yes, I see that it's a book, Hermione. No wonder you're first in our year..." Hermione gave him a look and he silently congratulated himself--he'd successfully ruffled her feathers. Ron: one, Hermione: zero. "What book is it?"

"It's a fantastic one." But then, you liked Hogwarts, a History, he thought, but felt it best to keep it to himself. He didn't want to chase her off. "It's called The Princess Bride, and it's one of my favorite books."

Ron made a face. "Princess Bride? Sounds girly." He looked at the book cover. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. "Bit full of himself, he was, eh?"

Hermione sighed and chose to ignore his latter statement. "It's not girly. It's a beautiful story about...about...well, everything!" she said, breathless. "I want you to read it."

Ron paused. "Why?"

Hermione looked down and fingered the edges of the well-worn hardback book. "Because...I like it. And I wanted to share it with--" Ron's stomach felt a bit fluttery. With...me? Someone special? "Someone who might like it, too." She looked back up at him, her face a bit pink. "Besides, with Harry at Quidditch practices all weekend, you could do well with something that'll keep you from being a lazy git who doesn't read."

Ron yawned again, feigning aloofness. "But being a lazy git is fun, Hermione. Besides, I read."

Hermione crossed her arms and Ron almost laughed--she looked so much like McGonagall, he almost expected her to take points from Gryffindor for his cheek. "When was the last time you read anything that wasn't A, a schoolbook, B, something Quidditch related, or C, one of those wretched comics you're always reading?" she asked, ticking the things off on her fingers.

Ron looked at her lazily. "I'll have you know that Martin Miggs: Mad Muggle is considered very heavy reading material in some literary circles," he said with a grin.

Hermione looked as she always did when speaking to Ron; caught between being amused and annoyed. "Ron, be serious. I really think you'll like it." She bit her lower lip, revealing her front teeth, which were still startlingly small to Ron, when he thought about it. He sighed.

"Okay, what's it about then?" he asked, defeated. Hermione made an excited sound and plopped herself down next to Ron. Their elbows grazed for just an instant, but it was enough to make Ron very glad he'd agreed to take a closer look at this book.

He was busy thinking about how strangely springy the curls in Hermione's hair were looking that particular day when he realized that she was looking at him expectantly.

"Erm, what was that?" He blushed.

"I was telling you about the book, Ron. Honestly, you never listen to me." She looked about ready to stand and leave. Ron quickly tried to stop her by putting his hand on her leg. He looked at her seriously.

"Don't go yet," he said. For a moment, they just stared at one another...before Ron realized that his hand was resting quite comfortably on Hermione's upper thigh. He turned red and snatched it back as if Hermione's leg was covered with hot coals.

He cleared his throat and stared at the book to avoid her eyes. "So, go on about this Bridal Princess business."

Hermione cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously for a moment, her face pink, before speaking.

"Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautiful ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strong men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles."

Ron looked at her. "Sounds like our lives."

She nodded. "Don't I know it." She paused. "We have true love in our lives?"

Ron shrugged, still avoiding her stare. "I suppose we might sometime." He cleared his throat again. It was feeling a bit parched. "I mean, who knows, maybe Hagrid and Madame Maxime are hitting it off on their journey." He took a quick glance at her and grinned. "I'll take a look at it, OK?"

"Really? You will?" He nodded, and Hermione gave him a quick hug, which he pretended not to enjoy at all, and she pranced back up to her dormitory, leaving Ron with a slight smile on his face and a big book in his hands.