Rating:
G
House:
Astronomy Tower
Ships:
Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Characters:
Hermione Granger Ron Weasley
Genres:
Romance Humor
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Stats:
Published: 01/22/2003
Updated: 07/02/2007
Words: 13,959
Chapters: 15
Hits: 21,564

Jigsaw Puzzle

RonHermioneStory

Story Summary:
Ron and Hermione are beginning to have confused feelings about each other. They are being increasingly awkward around each other and having more arguments than ever. Will they ever admit their feelings to each other...let alone to themselves? Maybe, but it won't be right away...and it won't be easy...unless something happens to make them see just how perfect they are for each other.

Chapter 02

Chapter Summary:
still at the burrow...arguments and a misunderstanding...
Posted:
01/24/2003
Hits:
1,949


As usual, Harry came to the Burrow to visit near the end of the summer. Ron thought Harry's visit would take his mind off of Hermione for a while, but he was sorely disappointed. Harry was unusually quiet. He thought of telling Harry his confusion about Hermione, but decided against it. "He wouldn't understand," Ron thought. "and he has enough to worry about right now without me adding my own troubles to it."

Ron didn't know how to act around Harry when he was so subdued. He had never known. Being around upset people had always made him feel uncomfortable. Everyone was trying to cheer Harry up, though, and he tried to follow their example as best he could.

On the second day of Harry's stay at the Burrow, Pigwidgeon arrived with another letter from Hermione. After he had caught the tiny, enthusiastic fluff ball and put him in his cage, Ron handed the letter to Harry to read.

"Dear Ron, and Harry if you're there," Harry began to read out loud, but Ron stopped him.

"Don't read it out loud. Just tell me if there's anything important."

"All right," Harry replied slowly, giving Ron a strange look. "She says she'd like to come visit if your parents don't mind..."

"I'm sure they won't," Ron answered.

"Wait," continued Harry. "She says that..." He hesitated.

"What?" Ron inquired.

"Nothing," Harry said in an entirely unconvincing manner.

"Just let me see it!" Ron snapped, snatching the parchment from Harry's grip and skimming over it until he came to:

Also, if your parents wouldn't object, Viktor would like to visit as well...

"No," Ron said flatly. "He's not coming here."

"Ron, he really isn't-"

"I said he's not coming here!" Ron yelled.

"If you don't want him to, I guess Hermione won't mind," Harry replied, who knew better than to argue further. However, Ron's shout had attracted the attention of Fred and George, who had been on the staircase near his room.

"What's Ickle Ronniekins yelling for?" asked Fred.

"It's really none of your-"

"What's this?" interrupted George, picking up the letter, which Ron had laid on his bed. "Viktor Krum come to visit us?" he said excitedly. "Mum'll have to let him come!"

"I don't want-"

Ron was again interrupted as Fred and George were both talking excitedly at once, running downstairs with the letter. He ran after them, trying to snatch it back, but they were soon downstairs showing it to Mr. Weasley.

Ron's parents immediately said that they didn't have any objection to Krum visiting, and the chatter drowned Ron's objections out. Finally he couldn't take it any longer. "I...DON'T...WANT...HIM...COMING...HERE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. His parents, Percy, Ginny, and Fred and George all turned to look at him. Harry was looking at Mrs. Weasley, though why, he didn't know.

There was silence for a moment, while everyone looked at Ron, who was glaring at all of them. "Ron, it wouldn't be very polite to-"

"I don't care about being polite!" Ron interrupted Mrs. Weasley. "He's not coming here!"

"Honestly, Ron. What do you have against him?" asked Ginny.

"Well...He went to Durmstrang, Ginny! You know what kind of people go there!"

"You know he's not like the rest of them, Ron! It's unfair to stereotype people like that!"

"I know, but...Oh, all right. He can come here. As long as I don't have to see him." Ron said angrily, going up to his room and slamming the door. Right before he entered his room, Ron saw Harry muttering something to Mrs. Weasley, gesturing up towards him, but he was too angry to wonder what it was about.

Later, Ron heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he snapped.

There was no answer. Mrs. Weasley just walked right in. "What are you doing up here by yourself?" she asked, looking at him. He was lying on his bed, his head resting on his hands.

"Just thinking," Ron replied.

"I see," said Mrs. Weasley. "Well...I just wanted to talk to you."

"Why?"

"About Viktor Krum..."

"What about him?" Ron said.

"You don't have to be around him if you don't want to."

Ron looked up. "I don't?"

"No, you don't," replied Mrs. Weasley. "I understand now." She smiled knowingly and sympathetically at him.

"What are you talking about...and why are you smiling like that?" said Ron, confused.

"Never you mind, Ron. Just get back to your...thinking," replied Mrs. Weasley in a gentle tone. He thought he saw her shake her head as she left the room, muttering something with his name in it.

"Is Mum starting to go crazy, too?" muttered Ron to himself.

Hermione and Krum arrived the next day.

"Hey, Harry!" Hermione said, hugging him in greeting. She paused. "Hi, Ron." Ron felt his heart thump against his ribs when Hermione looked at him. He didn't know why, but he hoped she would hug him, too. She didn't, however, but went on to greet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Perfect, famous, Harry Potter," Ron thought bitterly, turning to glare at Harry, who looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Ron said quickly.

Harry gave Ron a searching look before shrugging and turning to greet Krum, shaking his hand. Ron simply nodded towards him without saying anything.

Ron avoided Krum as much as he could, spending a lot of time up in his room. No one said anything about it. He saw his mother and father exchange some looks, and wondered what it was all about. Eventually, Hermione decided to talk to him. She went upstairs and rapped lightly on his door. When he didn't answer, she rapped a little louder.

"What?" came Ron's annoyed reply.

"I only want to talk to you, Ron!" yelled Hermione. She couldn't get in, because ever since the time his mother had just barged in the door, Ron and been locking it.

"Will you please just open the door?" Hermione asked. "Please, Ron?"

Ron sighed and let Hermione in, figuring she wouldn't leave him alone until he did.

"Let's just get to the point right away," Hermione said as she walked into Ron's room and closed the door behind her. "You've been avoiding Viktor. Why?"

Ron searched his mind for an answer that wouldn't sound stupid. "Well, I...I don't trust him!" he said quickly.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well...What if he's...a spy for You-Know-Who or something? What if he tries to...to hurt you or-"

"That's absolutely ridiculous, Ron!" replied Hermione, rolling her eyes. "I think I can tell who's trustworthy myself, thank you...probably much better than you can."

"You can't know for sure! He could be!"

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "You're hopeless, Ron." A sudden idea seemed to occur to her. "Have you talked to Harry like I asked you to in my letter?" she said slowly.

"No...why?"

"Why not?"

"I don't enjoy meddling in other people's business, Hermione!"

"Really? Then why are you meddling in mine?"

"Well, I...I...er..." Ron stammered. Hermione had him in a trap. He struggled to find something to say that wouldn't put him in a deeper hole than he was already in. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite as clever as Hermione. He could feel her eyes glaring at him, and he stared determinedly at the floor, his ears beginning to turn red. "I don't know," he finally said, his ears turning redder. "I guess maybe it's because...I feel sort of weird with him around. I-I'm sorry."

Ron didn't look up from the floor, but he was sure Hermione was looking at him with a strange expression. She could have rubbed it in that he had actually apologized to her, but she didn't. "Why does he make you feel uncomfortable, Ron?" she asked in a much gentler tone.

"Well...er...Since you and him are..."

"You know we're just friends, Ron!"

"Well of course I..." Ron paused and looked up. "You are?"

"Yes! I told you in that letter I sent you a while back..."

"Oh...Right." Ron couldn't pretend he hadn't received the letter since he'd already acknowledged that he had earlier, so he didn't know what to say. However, to his surprise, Hermione didn't ask any questions.

"I think you should probably apologize to Viktor," was all Hermione said. She was about to leave his room when she paused and turned around. "-and thank you for being honest, Ron." She added. She paused again. "Just so you know, I could never have better friends than you and Harry." Ron had never heard Hermione speak in that tone of voice before, and he couldn't place what it meant. She hesitated a moment, then walked towards him, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She then turned away quickly and left, Ron staring after her with a startled, slightly dazed expression.