In Pursuit of Miss Granger

Chapter Two: The Plea

~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~

"Cannot -"

Hop.

"reach -"

Hop.

"the damn -"

Hop.

"book!"

Hop.

Hermione jumped one more time stretching her arm as far as it could as she reached for a book on the top shelf in the library. She still missed it by a few inches. "Dammit." As she stared up at the shelf in anger, cursing herself for being 5'4, she was surprised to see another arm snake up and grab the very book she wanted. The owner of the arm held it in front of her.

A very deep, male voice spoke from right behind her. "Here."

Hermione grabbed the book and turned around sharply to find herself gaping at a man's chest. Whoever it was, they were very tall. And built well. She swallowed harshly. Hermione looked up to find herself gazing into Ronald Weasley's dark blue eyes. He had a knowing smirk on his face and any thought Hermione had of thanking her savior profusely melted away. "Oh." She said glumly, "It's you."

Ron laughed. "Well, that certainly is nice. No 'thank you Ron,' or 'that was nice, Ron' or 'Oh Ronald, you're my hero and I'll love you passionately until the day I die?' Being kind is a thankless job, apparently."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Sod off, Weasley. Thank you for retrieving my book, but I really must be going now. Excuse me." Hermione pushed past Ron, but was surprised when she felt his hand grab hold of her wrist.

"Woah, hold on there miss Granger. Don't go running off like I have the plague or something. I was hoping that we could have some kind of conversation, possibly get to know each other better."

Hermione jerked her hand away from Ron's and looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

He leaned against one of the library tables and gave her a sleepy half grin. "Because we never really have talked before. You seem like a very interesting person and I'm always looking for new friends."

"Probably looking for friends who will help you with your homework, right? Well, I'm sorry Mr. Weasley, but I'm not interested. I've got enough to do without having to baby-sit an immature prat who can't even finish his own potions essays on time."

Ron's smile grew larger. "You know Hermione, you're very beautiful when you're angry. But no, I don't need your help with my essays. I just want to talk."

"All right then, Weasley. What do you want to talk about?" Hermione sat down at a table and looked at the book he had handed her, The Feminist Witch. She smiled, waiting for him to speak. He sat down in front of her and ran a hand through his ginger red hair confidently.

"So how are your classes going? Old McGonagall's really being tough on us, eh? I suppose it's because of the N.E.W.T.S coming up this year, but still...that's no reason to pile so much homework on us every day. What do you think?"

Hermione fingered the spine of her book and glared at him. "I don't believe that you really wish to talk about McGonagall, Weasley. What is it that you're really wanting to say?"

Ron leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. "That obvious, huh? I guess I never was very good at keeping what I'm thinking from others." He laughed and Hermione's stomach did back flips. Why was it that she never noticed how particularly nice his laugh was?

Ron continued, gazing at Hermione in a seductive way. "Well Hermione, it's just that I was thinking about what you said the other day...when you overheard my conversation with my friends? You said I was an egotistical prat."

"Which you are."

"And I agree."

"You certainly -- what? What did you say?" Hermione looked shocked, unconsciously leaning forward to make sure what she heard was correct.

Ron smiled and repeated himself quietly. "I said I agree."

Hermione sputtered for a moment, confused. "Why do you agree? You agree that you are an egotistical prat? I don't understand..."

Ron laughed gently at her and ran his fingers over a scratch in the table. "Yes, I think I'm an egotistical prat, and I'm tired of it. I know I've been quite horrid in the past and my behavior appalls me. We're going to be out of school soon, and look who I've become! I can't keep living this way, being the player and having a different girl every night of the week. I want to marry and have children someday, be happy." He looked seriously into Hermione's eyes, frowning. "I've dug myself into a deep hole, and I can't seem to find my way out, I'm afraid. I'm not sure what to do. That's where I was hoping you could help me, Hermione."

Hermione's mouth was hanging open. She didn't even flinch when Ron suddenly grabbed hold of her hands with his and leaned forward until his face was inches from hers. He looked ready to cry.

"Please Hermione. You're the smartest witch at Hogwarts and I'm sure that if anyone is able to help me, it's you. Please."

My, but his eyes were a most beautiful shade of blue. She tried to clear her mind of the rubbish it was producing and pursed her lips. "Why me?"

"Because you aren't attracted to me and I'm not attracted to you. If I asked any other girl at Hogwarts, they would probably just lead me further astray. I can't ask any of the guys to help me either. First of all, they would never do it, and second, they would never let me live it down." Ron sighed, taking a few moments before he finally continued. "You're my only hope."

Hermione sat back in her chair, removing her hands from Rons and placing them in her lap. She pondered his predicament for a moment before asking, "What would I have to do?"

Ron smiled brightly. "Teach me how to be the kind of man a girl would want to marry, not just have sex with. I'm not exactly sure how to act or talk or show that I am being sincere. I want to show the girls here that I have changed and I am no longer Ron 'The Sex King' Weasley. I want to be...Ron 'the marrying kind of man' Weasley. So how about it?"

Hermione stared at Ron. Should she really help him? Hermione chewed on her bottom lip and considered his plea, trying to judge how sincere he was. He certainly seemed like a man who wanted to change for the better. She smiled suddenly.

If she helped him, she would never have to listen to another girl go on about how great a lover he was again.

Hermione nodded and stood up. "All right Mr. Weasley, I'm willing to help you, but you have to promise me one thing. You cannot have sex with any girls until our training is through...although I'm sure by then, you'll be a reformed man and won't feel the need anymore."

Ron's smile was brilliant as he stood and embraced her. "I promise. Thank you Hermione! I knew I could count on you! You're a doll."

Hermione pushed away from him, perplexed. She looked everywhere but at Ron. "Yes, well...just remember to hold up your end of the bargain. Any way, I must be going now...loads of homework to do. We'll start our training tomorrow night Mr. Weasley, seven sharp in the Charms classroom. Don't be late. Until then." Hermione spun on her heel and quickly walked away from him.

Ron's grin transformed into an evil smile. "Yes, Miss Granger," he said with quiet confidence, "tomorrow, we will start our training...and before the end of the month, you're going to be begging me to break my promise." He picked up the copy of The Feminist Witch that she had left behind in her haste, tossed it into a waste can and set off for the Gryffindor tower.

~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~

Ron looked at his reflection in his mirror, admiring his winning smile. "Gilderoy Lockhart, eat your heart out." He was standing in his room, trying to decide what to wear for his first meeting with Hermione, which was only a half hour away. "Should I wear the light blue sweater, to bring out my eyes...or should I wear the green to show off my hair? Oh damn, I'll just wear the blue and green sweater to show off both." He threw item after item of clothing onto his bed, searching for his choice. He finally found it at the very bottom of his trunk, along with the muggle CD player that Harry had given him last Christmas. It was enchanted to play all of Ron's favorite wizard and muggle songs. He sat it on top of the mound of clothing and pressed play. The CD player shuffled until it finally selected "You Can Do It" by Ice Cube.

"Yeah yeah!" Ron threw off his shirt, adding it to the pile of dirty clothes near his door. Ron turned toward his mirror and started to dance around. He grabbed his comb and did his best rap voice. "Tic-tic-BOOM, hear me banging down these back streets, bumpin' blackstreet, treated like a athlete. Life ain't a track meet, no, it's a marathon! Forget the cemetery that a whigga get buried on. We be clubbing till the day we die and you can ask the bartender if you think we lie, but if you think we high, whigga think again, cause when it's sink or swim, you got to think to win!" Ron proceeded to dance around his room, humping his bed post and doing the Cabbage Patch.

Ron stuck his bum out, rapping in high falsetto, "You can do it, put your back into it!" He stood up straight, holding his hands out in front of him, as though holding onto an imaginary woman and said deeply, "I can do it, put your ass into it!" Ron ran to his trunk, rummaging through it before grabbing a pair of black sunglasses and an old baseball cap. He put them on and returned to his mirror, turning the baseball cap around so that the bill was in back. He waved his hands in the air as he rapped on. "Now all I wanna do is have fun with my loved ones, the thug ones, relatives and my cousins, and I got 'em by the dozen! When they buzzin', quick to say F your husband. This is for my whiggas locked away, extra love for the ones who ain't got no date, but when we hit checkmate with Ronald the great, as soon as I get the word we can rush the safe!"

As he continued to dance around, Ron threw the sunglasses and hat back into the truck and attempted to pull the blue and green striped sweater over his head, which was very difficult to do while shaking his booty at the same time. Ron took one look at himself in the mirror and exclaimed, "Yuck!" He quickly yanked the jumper over his head and threw it back into the trunk as well. Ron grimaced and looked at himself, flexing his muscles. "Hmm...maybe something a little more tight...didn't work on this six pack for three years for nothing!"

He pulled a blue T-shirt off his bed and put it on. He smiled at himself. The shirt went perfectly with the pair of white cords he had on. "Much, much better. How in the world could she resist this?"

"How in the world could WHO resist this?"

Ron jumped in fright and let out a high pitched shriek. He turned to see Ginny at his door, laughing at him. "Virginia Weasley! You scared the shit out of me! How long have you been there?!"

Ginny shook her head at him, trying to keep a straight face. "Oh, I dunno. Not long." Ginny walked into the room, grabbing hold of the bed post and freak dancing on it. "Since about here." She lost control then, rolling around on the floor and laughing loudly. Ron scowled at her.

"Shut up Ginny! Get out of here...this is MY room." He threw a balled up shirt at her and sat down on his bed gloomily. He reached over and pressed stop on his CD player. Ginny sat up and forced herself to stop laughing.

"Ah big bro, it's OK! I do the same thing...just not with that sort of music. Mostly Ditzey Rears or the Chicksie Dicks. Any way, who are you trying to impress?"

"No one, Ginny. Leave me alone." Ron stared at the poster of the Chudley Cannons on his wall and tried to will her to leave telepathically. It didn't work.

Ginny pushed some of his clothes off the bed and sat down beside him. "Really Ron, come on now. You can tell your dear little sister anything! Who have you got your eye on this time? Lavender? Parvati?"

"No, Ginny. I'm not interested in those hoes any more. If you must know, I'm interested in someone much more special...someone with an actual brain." Ron ran his fingers through his hair, casting an arrogant glance at his sister.

Ginny looked doubtful. "Who?"

"None of your business Ginny! Now get out of my room!" Ron pushed Ginny toward the door, where Harry now stood.

"Ah, there you are Ginny! I was looking for you. Want to go out to the, uh... lake with me?" Harry grinned at her with a mischievous look in his eye. Ron pushed Ginny out the door and slammed it, not wanting to hear her answer. "Ugh...my baby sister and my best friend. How gross." Ron looked at the muggle clock he had and froze. He now had five minutes to get to the Charms classroom. He took one last look in the mirror, fixed his hair and bolted out his door, hoping that a few days from now, he'd be 50 galleons richer.

~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~'*'~~

A/N: Well, there's chapter 2. I'm basically writing this whenever I have time, which is little right now. Look for Chapter 3 soon!