Flower of the Heart

     Days passed with Hermione getting more and more jealous. She would see Fleur and Ron in the oddest places. Such as in broom closets, behind chairs, under tables, under eachother...it was getting quite old.

     "I'll just never get enough of this, will I?" she screamed one night at them. She had gone to the laundry room to pick up her robes and found the two tangled in them.

     "Sorry, Hermione," Fleur said grinning ear to ear. "We were just cleaning some things and-"

     "I know. I'm really not that stupid," Hermione replied hotly. "I suggest you get out of my laundry basket before I dump you back in the wash with these robes!"

     "Why would you need to rewash them?" Ron asked. "They just came out from there.

     "Because, because..." Hermione struggled to find the right words. "Because you got your man goo all over them! And quite frankly, I'm not planning on wearing it!" and with that, she dumped the robes back in the wash and stalked off.

     'Who does Fleur think she is?' Hermione thought to herself. She sighed. 'I've got stop this. I should be happy for Ron. He's my friend. No, he could never really be my friend again. I care too much for him. And not in the friendliest of ways. He'll never be intrested in me again. Not with that French pig around. Why do I have to keep torturing myself with false hopes?' She sighed again. Suddenly she ran into something. Or rather, someone.

     "Oh, I'm sorry Neville!" Hermione said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "How are you?"

     "Oh, I've just been thinking, that's all," he replied smiling. "You seem fairly preoccupied. What's the matter?" He looked at her with concern so deep it startled her.

     "Nothing much, Neville. Nothing to worry about," she told him. 'When did I become such a talented liar?' she thought after she said it. Neville was still looking at her. He wasn't concerned, more like, mistified or something. Hermione shrugged it off.

     "Want to walk back together?" Neville asked after a while. He still hadn't let go of her hand. It didn't look like he was planning to, either.

     "Sure, I'd love to," she said. She was getting anxious about the hand.Why won't he let go?

     They walked for a while in silence. When they approached hr office she stopped and turned to him.

     "Well, this is me," Hermione said, finally freeing her hand. "It's been nice talking with you. Good night." She turned to go into her office but Neville stopped her.

     "Hermione, I-I-I..." he stopped and grabbed her by the waist and forcefully kissed her.

     "NEVILLE!!!" she yelled. It echoed throughout the hall and all the teachers who had been in their offices came out and looked. They didn't seem to nitice as Hermione carried on and Neville didn't look around. "Neville! Okay, you are a good friend but just because I let you walk me to my office it doesn't mean I'm in love with you!"

     "I-I know Hermione I just-"

     "You just what?"

     "I just like you. A lot. Still. I couldn't restrain myself and I'm sorry. I just thought since you were holding my hand, maybe I had a chance." Once Neville had finished talking he backed up and prepared himself for a tidal wave of fury. But it didn't come. Instead, Hermione started to blush. Then giggle.

     "Oh Neville," she chuckled. "I'm flattered, I really am, but just let this be a lesson. If you like a girl, it is wise not to grab her and kiss her before you know how she feels, okay? Goodnight." Still chuckling she kissed him on the cheek and walked into her office.

     In her office she thought to herself, 'If I don't want that to happen again, I better hurry up with the plan to make Ron love me again. Maybe a little classic will work....' She pulled out her quill and a letter she had from Ron. She dipped the quill in her ink and began practicing Ron's handwriting.

     "Perfect," she sneered to herself. "Got it just right. Now part B has to get done and I'll be able to start part C. Then Ron'll be in my arms." She scribbled her letter and snuck off to Fleur's office. She slipped it under the door and crept back to bed, happier then she had been for some time.

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     Fleur awoke to the beautiful sounds of birds singing. She stretched and found her hairbrush. On her way to her vanity mirror she stepped on something. She picked it up and looked at it. It said "To: Fleur From: Ron"

     "Ron is so romantic," she sighed to herself as she opened the envolope. She was grinning from ear to ear. That is, until she read the letter. It said:

Dear Fleur,

     I'm dreadfully sorry my dear, but I'm afraid I have to break up. I'm not as intrested in you as I was before. Sorry, you just don't thrill me anymore. Don't talk to me or say anything to anyone, I'm not intrested. Toodles.

-Ron

     'That doesn't sound like Ron!' Fleur thought. 'But it must be, that's his handwriting! Why would he do this to me?'

     She threw down her hairbrush and stormed into the Great Hall with only her nightdress on.

     "What is the matter with you Ron?" she screeched. "You think you can just drop me like that?" She reached up and slapped him with all the strength she had. He toppled over.

     "What the-? What are you-? Huh?" Ron asked, utterly bewildered as he lay on the floor.

     "Don't play dumb with me! And after all, I can't talk to you about it because 'you're not intrested'!" Fleur turned and ran out of the hall.

     "What crawled up her butt?" Hermione said.

     "I...I don't know...." Ron said distractedly. "I have to go after her! Make her explain!"

     Hermione gripped his arm and pulled him back. "No, Ron," she told him. "She clearly doesn't want to talk about it. Don't bug her until she's calmed down a little."

     "I suppose you're right..." Ron sighed. He sat down and pushed his food away. He wasn't feeling very hungry at all.

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     As the days went by things got worse. Every time Ron looked at Fleur she gave him a stare so icy it actually sent a chill down his spine. He figured she has skills like from being part veela. She obviously couldn't only be feeling hatred for him or else her eyes wouldn't be so bloodshot. This made him feel really guilty, even though he didn't know why. He just couldn't figure it out! Why did Fleur suddenly hate him so much?

     "Don't worry about her, Ron," Hermione would say to him. "Girls like Fleur aren't worth fretting over."

     "I think she is," Ron replied one day. "And I'm finding out what's going on right now if it's the last thing I do." He wrenched his arm from Hermione's grasp and strode to Fleur's office.

     He was almost there until something shot out of an empty classroom. An arm grabbed him by his forearm and pulled him into the classroom. That arm belonged to Hermione. She shut the door and slammed Ron against it. She pinned him against the wall with her arms and stared at him. Then she relaxed and turned away to sit on an unused desk.

     "Ron," she said, patting the desk next to her. Ron sat down giving her an odd look and rubbing his arm where she had grabbed it. "I have something to tell you." She looked extreamly uncomfortable. "I-I...,"she gulped. "I'm still in love with you."