Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Just this arrangement of words. Harry Potter, sadly, belongs to Ms. Rowling, the WB Corporate Juggernaut, and anyone else who has a slice of the proverbial pie.
"The monthly visit to Hogsmeade Village will be held on Tuesday 26th September. This may only be attended by students in the Third Year and above, with appropriate permissions signed and delivered to their Head of House."
Ron arrived back in the Common Room twenty minutes later, to the clamouring sounds of his fellow Gryffindors pushing, shoving, and nudging their way into the large group that had gathered by the notice board. Spying Hermione to his left, he waved, only to be met with a crossing of her arms and a rolling of her eyes.
"Hey," the voice of his best friend came from his other side. He looked over to see Harry, still in his Quidditch gear and Firebolt in tow give him a nod in greeting. Ron returned the gesture, before pointing in the direction of the group that was currently mobbing the corner of the room.
"What's this?" He asked, turning to face them fully as Harry did the same.
"Hogsmeade weekend." Harry replied mournfully. "This Tuesday."
Ron empathised with his friend after a quick glance over at Hermione, who was attempting to mask her interest in the rapidly growing crowd. Unsuccessfully, to the redhead's amusement. He knew that after their ill-fated attempt to bunk off her regular Sunday library time under the pretence of being ill to go play Quidditch, she'd force them to make it up whilst everyone else was enjoying themselves in Zonko's, or downing pints of butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks.
"You going?" Ron asked casually, a plan already forming in his mind. This was perfect, oh my yes. Utterly perfect timing. Harry turned to him, a slightly incredulous look in his eyes.
"You kidding? After how pissed Hermione was, and still is I might add, I don't think there's a chance in high hell we could go to bloody Hogsmeade and return with all parts of our anatomy intact." He sighed, deflated and despondent. "It's the library for us Ron. The library." Ron smirked, to the chagrin of the black-haired boy next to him, who tightened his grip on his broom menacingly. "Don't even be trying to think of a way out of this Ron. I'm not buying it again. 'Don't worry Harry, she'll never notice. You know Hermione, Harry, once she's in the library getting her out is like prising Percy from the Minister's arse cheek. She'll never find…"
"Okay!" Ron exclaimed, raising his voice as he held his hands out in a gesture of appeasement. "Point taken!"
"I'm just saying; the bruises on my arm aren't going away soon. Girl's got a hard swing." He subconsciously rubbed his triceps, brow furrowed in discomfort.
"Exactly." Ron agreed, a grin that couldn't be described as anything less than shit eating plastered across his face. Harry's eyes narrowed warily.
"Glad we understand each other, then."
"We do."
"Good."
"Which is why I'm going to talk to Hermione this time." He finished triumphantly. Harry's mouth opened and closed several times, a hundred responses obviously dying on his tongue, before he made a sighing sound in the back of his throat and turned around, walking towards their dormitory.
You'll thank me for this later, Ron thought smugly to himself as he watched his friend trudge up the stairs, Firebolt trailing after him. Filled with bravado, he spun about face towards the direction in which he'd last seen his other best friend. Except she wasn't there any more. She was in front of his face. Angry.
He gulped.
"No." She said simply, in a low, threatening voice. "No way, Ron."
"No er…heh…no what?" He chuckled nervously, buying time and frantically avoiding her piercing gaze. The stray thread on his cuff became fascinating over the course of a few seconds.
"You know what, and we're not going." She growled; hands firmly placed on her hips. Turning on as much of the 'forlorn Weasley' charm that had worked so well in the past, he looked at her with horrifically mournful doe-eyes, smirking inwardly as she glanced away instantly.
"Come on, Hermione." He pleaded in a soft voice. "Pleeeease."
"No, Ron."
"It'll be the last time in ages we get to go, with everything this year."
"No, Ron."
"Is this about today?" Her sharp look gave him the answer. "Look, it was my fault. I practically dragged Harry with me. He was going on about not wanting to let you down, about how important it was to focus on the job in hand…" Her gaze softened, he smirked inwardly again.
"Harry said that?" She asked softly, a smile quirking ever so slightly at the side of her mouth.
Oh yeah, got you.
If he could do it without getting punched out, he'd be dancing in the vein of victory right now. Instead, he simply nodded fervently in the affirmative.
"Oh yeah. And look, I know I've done bad, but I'll make it up to you. Just let Harry go to Hogsmeade."
"I don't know…" She sighed, her hands coming to fold over her chest.
"Look," He said, placing both his hands on her shoulders, looking her square in the eye. "I'll make you a deal. A bet, if you will, between honest folk."
"I don't gamble." Her short response came, nearly spat at him.
"Make an exception." He paused for dramatic effect, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hermione in turn narrowed hers warily, much like Harry had done not two minutes earlier.
"I'm listening."
"I'll bet you that I can show you the best day of your Hogwarts career," At her apprehensive look, he hurried to reassure her. "And it will be, with one catch."
"Which is…?"
"Just do exactly what I say."
"Ron, I really don't think…"
"Oh come on Hermione, when have I let you down before?" He asked, kicking himself internally as soon as the words left his mouth.
"About an hour ago, if I'm not mistaken." She replied coldly, her folded arms tightening with her lips.
"Hah! Er, yeah, but this is penance." He stroked the sides of her arms in what he hoped was a soothing manner, earning a look down from Hermione at his hands first, then a raised eyebrow in his direction immediately afterwards.
He stopped.
"Alright, say, through some stroke of temporary lunacy, I take you up on this. What do I get if, through some stroke of cosmic lunacy mind, I don't consider it worth our while."
"Er…" Ron stammered. He hadn't thought this far ahead. "I'll err…I'll take over night research for a week." She sighed before rolling her eyes.
"Better sweeten the deal, Ronald."
"Okay okay! I'll…I'll alphabetically organise your entire bookshelf."
"Already done."
"I'll numerically organise your editions of 'Hogwarts: A History'." Once again, her glare conveyed the message that it had been done, redone, and done a third time for posterity better than words ever could. A wicked thought crossed his mind, and before his natural survival instinct could kick in and stop him doing something so monumentally stupid, he pulled Hermione's diary out of his robes.
Her eyes suddenly widened in abject terror.
"I'll give you back this if you agree!" He smiled cheerfully, the grin fading as the deep red flush that consumed his female friend's face mirrored the look of pure, unbridled anger in her eyes.
"You give me that back, right now." She hissed. Ron's feet wanted to move backwards out of fear for their own safety, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stare Hermione down, whilst willing his body not to shit itself.
"Say yes." He demanded.
"Ronald Weasley, I swear to god…"
"Say yes and it's yours!" He demanded again, moving the object just out of her reach as she swiped for it.
"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE! FINE!" She screamed, causing nearly everyone in the room to glance wide-eyed at the head girl's completely unprecedented use of cursing. With angry tears in her eyes, she snatched the book out of his hands before storming off to the cushy armchair in the corner, flopping down on it with a thump that belied her slight frame.
Ron walked over.
"Where did you get this?" She snapped, and he instantly regretted using it as leverage as he saw a tear fall down her cheek.
"It fell out of your bag when you…err…clubbed Harry. Nice swing by the way." He tried to joke, his smile fading again as he saw she was plainly not amused. "Look," he lied, "I haven't read anything in it, you'd already stormed off by the time I noticed it." Hermione sniffed, and his hand automatically went to the back of her head, stroking her hair comfortingly as he pulled her onto his thigh, ignoring the slightly apprehensive glance she cast him.
"You haven't looked in it?" She murmured in a hoarse voice, her throat obviously sore from the tears she'd just spilt.
"Nope." He lied again, feeling like the biggest charlatan in history. It's for a good cause, he told himself. It's for a good cause. Harry and Hermione, and my ability to reproduce ever again. "I'm sorry I blackmailed you with it. I just want you to relax. You've been so tightly wound over this Hor…"
"Ron!" She hissed suddenly, reminding him where they were.
"Er...with this…Horse…business. We all want a pony. Heh." He miserably failed to cover up; shooting a worried glance at a fifth year that was looking at him oddly.
"You're so gay, Weasley." The boy muttered, before standing up and moving to the sofa furthest away from him. Hermione giggled. Ron's expression darkened, his mouth silently speaking the word "Gay" in disbelief.
"Right." He murmured before seizing Hermione's face without warning, ignoring her muffled cries of astonishment as he pressed his lips to hers. Hard. He pulled away quickly, levelling a triumphant look at the little shit across the seating area before darting off the arm of his best friend's chair, giving her an apologetic glance as well.
"Remember, my rules. Blind date. Be at that new café, Sallusands or something, at 1pm." He then strode up towards the boy's dormitory determinedly, but not being able to hide the smug grin on his face.
One down, one to go.
He failed to notice Hermione's confused and troubled expression, doubt clouding her eyes as he left.
-=-=-=-*-=-=-=-
"No, Ron." Harry said distractedly, as he pulled off his Quidditch jersey, throwing it unceremoniously into his wash basket before pulling out a clean t-shirt from his trunk. "No way in hell." Ron sat himself on the edge of Harry's bed, rolling his eyes as he did so.
"Look, I spoke to Hermione, she thought it was a great idea." He pleaded. Harry glared at him. "Okay, a bit of gentle cajoling was required, but really, she's fine with it!"
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe." The taller boy grumbled, pulling his shirt on before starting on his trousers. Ron dutifully turned his head. There'd been all too much mention of homoeroticism for his liking today without adding to it.
"Look, seriously, I got her to agree." He replied as the sounds of Harry shuffling around began to cease.
"Yeah? What did you have to do in exchange?" Ron's face blushed at the impromptu kiss. He really shouldn't have done that, but honestly, he was protecting his libido.
"Don't worry about that. The point is, we're in the clear, and I have just the thing to cheer you up."
Harry grumbled incoherently.
"Come on mate, when was the last time you were with a girl." Ron asked, knowing the answer immediately. Him being the girl in question's brother. He looked round finally, to find his best friend glaring at him.
"Do I really have to credit that with a response?" He asked bitterly, doing up his belt once more and reaching for some clean socks as he sat down next to the redhead.
"Well, no. But honestly, it's a good idea."
"Ron, I can't be involv…" Harry started, giving a long-suffering sigh before Ron cut in.
"I know, but it's just one date." He exclaimed hurriedly. "It's just a bit of fun, come on!" Harry was silent for a few moments, and Ron knew he was weighing the pros and cons.
Weasley 2 - Lovebirds 0.
Finally, Harry sighed again before speaking.
"Who is it, then?"
"That, my friend, would defeat the purpose of a blind date." Ron grinned, folding his arms over his chest triumphantly as Harry began to massage his temples gently.
"Help me out a bit, 'mate'. Do I know her?"
"Let's just say it's a girl we've both known for years."
"Oh." Harry muttered, with the enthusiasm of someone about to be strip-searched at customs. "Good. Anything else I should know?"
"Well, I know she has a thing for you." Ron remarked subtly, his grin still permanently affixed to his face. Harry wanted to slap it off. "And I'm fairly sure you like her as well."
Harry felt a cold feeling begin to form in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't be suggesting…no, not again…
"Fairly short, bad temper?" He asked casually.
"I'm not saying any more, but you're on the right path." His friend remarked. Harry's cold feeling spread towards his lungs.
"I really don't think…"
"Look mate, let yourself live for one day. You can go back to being the martyr and all that afterwards. Just help a fella out?" He glared at the redheaded boy.
"Help you out? Why would I need to do that?"
Ron's mind raced.
"I err…might be otherwise engaged."
Harry's eyebrow rose inquisitively.
"Oh piss off Potter, just do what I ask. Think of it as a favour."
Harry groaned.
"Fine." He said finally. "Where and when?"
He shoots, he scores!
"One o'clock, Sallusands."
"Where?"
"That new place, near Scrivenshaft's."
"Ugh, fine." Harry grumbled, finally pulling his shoe on before heading towards the door. Ron thought he heard him grumble about the things he did for his friends, before the door closed, leaving the boy feeling pretty damn pleased with himself, and his friend worrying about an impending situation with a certain redheaded girl that he really, really didn't want to happen.
Author's Note:
Whew, this took a while to update, didn't it? My profuse apologies, faithful readers. I got caught up in writing Priori, and this was sadly waylined.
The good news, however, is that I've nearly finished writing it, and I'll be posting the subsequent chapters later today. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next one and the epilogue, I giggled when writing it. Yes, giggled like a little girl. Anyway, the link to the original challenge is here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=20876&hl=Matchmaker. My apologies to blondegirlshavefun for the time it's taken to post up, but rest assured, it'll be finished soon. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time, and a thank you in advance to everyone who will this time! :p
- Castledown.